The Chinese would be testing on mock-up of the aircraft carrier located in Wuhan, Hubei province, of catapults. The new photos were spread by the usual sites of Chinese fans, controlled by the government, the same ones that in the past have released photos and information on various assets in the developing world.
On the platform, already used in the past to test experimental technologies, it is about to be removed ski-jump. The Type 001A, Beijing's second aircraft carrier, is based on the design of the Liaoning, although with some improvements and will be characterized by a STOBAR or Short Takeoff But Arrested Recovery.
Although effective, the STOBAR launch is not comparable to the CATOBAR or Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery, take-off assisted by catapult but arrested recovery present on the US Nimitz. The main difference is that a CATOBAR carrier is able to launch aircraft with more fuel and payload. To reach a level of global operations comparable to that of the US Navy, China will need decades of experience.
The first tests on catapults were detected in the 2015 at the Huangdicun Airbase. In the structure, the Chinese tested the Shenyang J-15 platforms on both steam and electromagnetic catapults. It is not yet clear, thanks to modular technology, what the Chinese are testing on mock-up of Wuhan. The flight deck of the second Chinese aircraft carrier Tipo 001A, meanwhile, is completed, with the final module of the ski-jump assembled. The second Chinese aircraft carrier will carry out the military operations typical of a carrier of its category.
La Liaoning, the country's first aircraft carrier, was designed to test the reliability and compatibility of indigenous systems and staff training. The second carrier will in effect be a battle platform that will contribute to the defense of national interests. It will have a displacement of 50.000 tons (ten thousand less than the Liaoning) and a conventional feeding system. It will be equipped mainly with Shenyang J-15 fighters (based largely on Sukhoi Su-33) and the same STOBAR deck as the class Admiral Kuznetsov. The main systems (propulsion, electronics and armament) will be implemented in China.
The Chinese are also building a third aircraft carrier in the Shanghai area, probably nuclear-powered. The third carrier has not yet been formalized by Beijing, although satellite photos have confirmed the start of the works. Nuclear propulsion effectively eliminates the need for refueling and extends the range of the carrier, limited only by the on-board supplies for the embarked personnel. The last satellite transmissions would confirm the work started at the Jiangnan Changxingdao shipyards.
The second Chinese carrier, considering progress, could be launched by the end of the year. Considering the rapid installation of the most significant parts of the 001A vector, probably due to the Chinese modular construction process, the second aircraft carrier in Beijing could carry out its first patrol within the 2018, contradicting the Pentagon's estimate, previously fixed at the 2020 / 22.
The only Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, entered service in the 2012. It is the second vector of the class Admiral Kuznetsov which dates back to the Soviet era. China bought the aircraft carrier from 60.000 tons from Ukraine in the 1998. It has been totally revised and modernized even though it is not yet considered fully operational (target within the 2020). The autonomy of Liaoning it is estimated in 45 days of navigation, equal to seven thousand kilometers at the maximum speed allowed, around 32 knots.
