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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities
September 2017, it was reported that China had hired a retired Ukrainian national whose prior
work experience includes having assisted the Soviet Union's efforts in building aircraft carriers.66
First Carrier: Liaoning (Type 001)
On September 25, 2012, China commissioned into service its first aircraft carrier-the Liaoning
or Type 001 design (Figure 5), a refurbished ex-Ukrainian aircraft carrier, previously named
Varyag, that China purchased from Ukraine in 1998 as an unfinished ship.67
Figure 5. Liaoning (Type 001) Aircraft Carrier* .
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Source: "Highlights of Liaoning Carrier's One-Year Service," China Daily, September 26, 2013, accessed
September 30, 2013, at http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-09/26/content_3014221 7.htm. This picture shows
the ship during a sea trial in October 2012.
The Liaoning is conventionally powered, has an estimated full load displacement of almost
60,000 tons,68 and might accommodate an eventual air wing of 30 or more aircraft, including
fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. A September 7, 2014, press report, citing an August 28,
2014, edition of the Chinese-language Shanghai Morning Post, stated that the Liaoning's air wing
may consist of 24 J-15 fighters, 6 anti-submarine warfare helicopters, 4 airborne early warning
66 Robert Beckhusen, "This Military Expert May Help China Even the Odds Against the U.S. Navy," National Interest,
September 6, 2017.
67 The Soviet Union began work on the Varyag in a shipyard in Ukraine, which at the time was part of the Soviet
Union. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, construction work on the ship stopped and the unfinished ship
became the property of Ukraine. For a discussion, see James Holmes, "The Long Strange Trip of China's First Aircraft
Carrier," Foreign Policy, February 3, 2015; Chen Chu-chun and Staff Reporter, "Man Who Bought Varyag From
Ukraine Plied Officials With Liquor," Want China Times, January 22, 2015.
68 IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2016-2017 lists a full load displacement of 59,439 tons for the ship.Congressional Research Service
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O'Rourke, Ronald. China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities: Background and Issues for Congress, report, November 1, 2017; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1043233/m1/25/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.