China's Third Aircraft Carrier Expected to Be Launched in June

Finalizing delayed work due to COVID-19 lockdown... Operational deployment in 2024
Military show of force with 30 combat and military aircraft as US Senator visits Taiwan

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese state media reported that China's third aircraft carrier will soon be launched.

Photo by China Military Online capture

Global Times cited an announcement from Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard, reporting on the 1st that China's third aircraft carrier will be launched soon. The media noted that shipbuilding work was delayed due to the Shanghai lockdown caused by the resurgence of COVID-19, but now that the lockdown has been lifted, the shipyard is accelerating its work.

The Jiangnan Shipyard stated that it launched two vessels, including a super-large container ship, the day before, and that it will complete all scheduled tasks for this year as planned. The shipyard added that although all shipbuilding work was delayed due to the Shanghai lockdown caused by the COVID-19 resurgence, now that operations have normalized, they will employ innovative methods to make up for lost time as much as possible.

It was previously expected that China's third aircraft carrier would be launched on April 23, the anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Considering that the partial lockdown in Shanghai began on March 28, the launching ceremony is expected to take place in June. Some speculate that it could be launched on June 3 (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, Yongseonje).

The third aircraft carrier is estimated to be about 315 meters long and 74 meters wide. In terms of size, it is similar to the U.S. Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier.

Unlike the ski-jump style Liaoning and Shandong carriers, it is reported to be equipped with an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). With this system installed, early warning aircraft (KJ-600) can also be operated. China deployed the KJ-600 equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar in actual service last year.

Chinese media such as Global Times expect that by around 2024, when the third aircraft carrier is deployed, China's naval power in the Indo-Pacific will be greatly enhanced.

Meanwhile, on the 30th of last month, when U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth visited Taiwan, 30 Chinese military aircraft flew through Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone in a show of force. The Chinese military deployed 22 fighter jets that day, including 6 J-16s, 8 J-11s, 4 J-10s, 2 Su-35s, and 2 Su-30s.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.