Is China building a new, unusual aircraft carrier?

China appears to be building a new and unusual aircraft carrier, making experts curious, according to CNN.

Recent satellite images from the US company Planet Labs show a ship with a large flat flight deck being built at the Guangzhou International Shipyard in China's Guangdong province, according to CNN today, November 2.

Satellite images of the Guangzhou International Shipyard taken on October 23 show several things, including a new class of Chinese ships with large flight decks.

Photo: The War Zone screenshot

The existence of this new ship was first reported by The War Zone . According to what can be seen in satellite images that The War Zone collected from Planet Labs, the new ship is about 200 meters long and about 131 meters wide at its widest.

The new ship has features consistent with a light aircraft carrier or a large-deck amphibious assault ship, but there are some signs that it could be the first civilian oceanographic research vessel with such a structure, according to The War Zone .

This potential new aircraft carrier "has a somewhat unusual shape and size - much smaller than previous Chinese aircraft carriers," said Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submarine commander and now a member of the Center for a New American Security, according to CNN.

The new ship is even smaller than the Type 075 amphibious assault ships currently in use by the Chinese navy, suggesting China may be building the world's first "civilian aircraft carrier" "as some kind of oceanographic research vessel," according to Shugart.

There is currently no information about China's reaction to the above statement, in the context that China has been producing more and more advanced warships at a dizzying speed.

Why are 3 Chinese aircraft carriers increasing their activities?

The Fujian, China's largest, most modern and most powerful aircraft carrier to date, set sail for its first sea trials earlier this year. Experts say the Fujian could join the Chinese navy's fleet by 2026.

The Fujian, with a displacement of 80,000 tons, dwarfs China's two active carriers, the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning, making it a supercarrier. Only the US Navy operates carriers larger than the Fujian, according to CNN.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trung-quoc-dang-dong-mot-tau-san-bay-moi-khac-thuong-18524110213481119.htm