China's Navy Is Adding Some Serious Aircraft Carrier Muscle

The growing Chinese aircraft carrier fleet passed several important milestones in recent months.The People's Liberation Army Navy operates or is building three flattops. Writing at The Diplomat, Rick Joe provided an update on each.CV-16 Liaoning is a former Ukrainian vessel that China rebuilt and commissioned in 2011. The 60,000-ton-displacement vessel launches its J-15 fighters by way of a bow ramp.'CV-16 returned to Dalian shipyard in mid 2018 for maintenance and refit, where the island structure was altered and presumably additional upgrades were made internally,' Joe wrote.> After its refit, Liaoning participated in the PLAN 70th anniversary naval review [in April 2019].> > And more recently, Liaoning and an escort force including a 901 comprehensive resupply ship passed through the first island chain into the western Pacific, presumably for a training deployment.> > It will likely be another few years yet until Liaoning will have to return to a shipyard for a major overhaul.
Click here to read full news..