里程碑！首艘国产航母离港海试， 向成为真正作战舰艇迈关键一步

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今天清晨，首艘国产航母缓缓驶离位于中船重工大船集团的码头。国产航母离港后，其自主研制的动力系统和推进系统将首次接受海洋环境的真正考验，向成为一艘真正的作战舰艇迈出关键一步。

我国首艘国产航母，也是我国的第二艘航母，于2017年4月26日下水。专家表示，相比辽宁舰，首艘国产航母从设计到建造，全部由我国自主完成，并在辽宁舰使用的经验基础上进行了多项优化，性能将有全面提升。其研制和建造，标志着我国已经掌握了建造中型航母，以及后续更大型航母的能力。

China’s first domestically constructed aircraft carrier left Dalian port in northeast China's Liaoning Province on Sunday morning to begin its sea performance test.

It is the first time that the self-developed power system and propulsion system of the new carrier will be tested in real settings, marking a crucial step for it to become a combat-ready warship. 

Preparations before China's first domestically created aircraft carrier leaves Dalian port in NE China's Liaoning Province on Sunday morning. /CCTV Photo

It is said that more tests and trials will be conducted. But details on how long and how far the carrier will sail have still not been confirmed.

Once all trials are done – the ship will be delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. It will be given a name, like its sibling the Liaoning – a refitted Soviet model.

The construction of the new ship started on November 19, 2013 at the Dalian shipyard of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC) in Liaoning Province, and it was launched on April 26, 2017, when being transferred from a dry dock to the water.

In some ways it's similar to its predecessor, the Liaoning. Both ships are ski-jump type carriers – which means there is an upward-curved ramp on the deck that enables aircraft to take off on a shorter runway. Also, both are non-nuclear-powered carrier.

China's first domestically created aircraft carrier seen at a close distance. /CGTN Photo

Official specs about the new ship are not yet available but just by looking at the ship, some experts pointed out the new ship appears to be a similar in size to the Liaoning, but seems to have a smaller island control structure, which means a larger flight deck space.

While the Liaoning is classified as a training ship, the new ship is a real beast.

“The [new] one should stand at the forefront of medium-sized aircraft carriers across the world in terms of technology,” said Hu Wenming, chief commander of China’s aircraft carrier project, during an interview with CCTV. 

There are only a handful of countries with aircraft carriers in their fleets and fewer have two or more. With two carriers, China will definitely rise in the global naval force rankings. But it's still far behind the world leader – the US, who has ten full-scale aircraft carriers on active duty – plus nine more ships that could be called “light carriers.” Besides, the US ships are nuclear-powered and equipped with more advanced technology.

That being said, many experts believe China’s ambitions won't end with just two carriers. And military experts say they are expecting more China-designed warships to come along in the next few years.