AIR WARFARE BRIEFINGS FROM THE ASIA-PACIFIC
EYE ON THE EAST
ON APRIL 26, China launched its first indigenously built aircraft carrier. Attending this important milestone for China’s naval program were the Central Military Commission’s vice-chairman Fan Changlong, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commander-in-chief VADM Shen Jinlong, and political commissar of the PLAN ADM Miao Hua, as well as senior officials of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) headed by chairman Hu Wenming.
The event was widely reported in Chinese state media, the carrier sliding gently out of its dry dock amid much fanfare, its deck lined with red flags. In fact, this high-profile launch was preceded by a ‘mini-launch’ during the PLAN’s 68th anniversary celebrations three days earlier. The latter was not a true launch, reportedly due to the tide being too low. However, the dry dock was flooded and some PLAN personnel attended a brief ceremony. In the days after, CSIC personnel checked the vessel over prior to the official launch.
The unveiling of the as yet unnamed Type 001A was an important day for the PLAN but came amid renewed tensions in the Far East, above all between North Korea and the United States over …
