China to design own aircraft carrier in next 18 months: report
Staff Reporter 2012-11-02 12:16
The Liaoning was acquired from Ukraine as the Varyag. (Photo/CNS)
China may design and develop its own aircraft carrier and carrier battle groups within the next 18 months, says a senior Western military official interviewed by the Times of the UK.
As the country's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, returned to the port city of Dalian on Oct. 30 after completing its first sea trial since its was turned over to the PLA Navy in September, the Chinese government could already be looking at building another carrier.
As the Liaoning was refitted from the former Soviet-era carrier Varyag, which was acquired from Ukraine in 1998, China is still keen to build a 100% domestically designed carrier to boost its international status, according to the article published in the Times on Wednesday.
A Japanese diplomat quoted in the article said that China's 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army is still not strong enough in terms of technical capability, which has limited the potential of its naval fleet. If China can project its military presence all over the world then its status at the international negotiating table will be completely different, the diplomat added.
At the moment, the Liaoning is only used for training purposes. A senior military official told the Times that China still doesn't have pilots who are able to land on the flight decks of aircraft carriers and he doubts that they even have reliable planes capable of doing so.
Everything they are doing right now suggests they are designing their own aircraft carrier and battle group, the official said, adding that he believes the Chinese government will complete this task within the next 18 months with the help of a Ukranian expert.
According to a military expert cited in the article, China currently spends US$90 billion a year on its military, a mere fraction of the US$600 billion spent by the United States.
