China puts finishing touches on first self-built aircraft carrier

Work on China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier is proceeding smoothly, with the hull having already been assembled, a spokesperson for the country's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The vessel's design has been completed, said ministry spokesperson Wu Qian at a press conference, adding that workers are currently installing equipment to the ship's body.

Photos of the carrier which was spread on the Internet showed it differs from the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, people.cn reported in September citing Chinese military expert Cao Weidong.

Cao said the new carrier has a smaller island, which acts as the command center for all flight deck operations, and is equipped with superior radar.

According to the report, compared with the Liaoning, the new carrier would be faster: Its ship-borne weapons and electronic equipment can be activated in a shorter period of time.

The defense ministry confirmed the construction of the country's second carrier on December 31, 2015.

"We all know that the Liaoning is China's first aircraft carrier. Research and development on China's second aircraft carrier was carried out with an independent design and construction in mind," said ministry spokesman Yang Yujun at the press conference.

Yang said the carrier has a conventional power plant with a displacement of 50,000 tons. It will carry J-15 fighter jets and other ship-based aircraft, and fixed-wing aircraft on board will adopt the ski-jump take-off mode. Various types of equipment will be installed to help it fulfill its missions.

"The design and construction of the second aircraft carrier, having drawn on experience from the tests and training on the first one, will be better in many ways. In the future, we'll continue to provide relevant information," said Yang.

The carrier will be ready for sea trials next year, Indian TV channel NDTV reported in September.

China's first aircraft carrier is a refurbished former Soviet Union ship, which the Chinese government purchased from Ukraine in 1998, according to people.cn.

It was commissioned in 2012 after being refitted in Dalian, Liaoning Province.