The photo shows the berths of the aircraft carrier Shandong at a naval port in Sanya. China’s first Shandong aircraft carrier (Hull 17) was officially commissioned by the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world. which have multiple carriers. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the commissioning ceremony of the new aircraft carrier, which is named after the eastern province of Shandong, and presented the military flag to Senior Captain Lai Yijun, the ship’s commander. Photo: Chinese army
the shandong, China’s second-largest aircraft carrier and the first domestically developed, has reportedly begun its first scheduled maintenance and refurbishment that is expected to improve the flattop’s usability after more than two years in active service. The procedure could involve painting a new non-skid coating as well as repairs and upgrades to some subsystems, and the carrier would come back stronger than ever in a few months, observers said Sunday.
Moored in a berth at the Dalian shipyard in northeast China liaoning Province where the carrier was built, the shandong received the painting of a new non-slip coating on its flight deck on Saturday, the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the wenweipo news site reported. com based in Hong Kong.
This is the first scheduled maintenance to improve the usability of the shandong back at its shipyard since commissioning into the PLA Navy in December 2019 in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, and shipyard workers are working additional shifts for the renovation, according to the report from wenweipo.com.
The main wharf of the Dalian shipyard was emptied after a civilian ship departed on April 13, but the shandong has not yet entered the dock, according to the report.
On March 18, the shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait from south to north without an aircraft on its flight deck, Reuters reported at the time, citing the Taiwan Island Defense Authority and an unnamed source. Analysts then said the carrier was likely en route from its home port in Sanya to its shipyard in Dalian for regular maintenance.
In addition to refreshing the cockpit’s non-slip coating, maintenance could also include refurbishing, repairing, and upgrading certain subsystems that tend to wear out, such as the shut-off device, the power system, pipelines and electronic systems, a military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
A full review of the carrier could be carried out, and upgrades and overhaul could be made to parts that have encountered problems or can be optimized based on experiences gained over the past two years, the expert said. .
It is quite normal for aircraft carriers to carry out this type of regular maintenance, and this procedure could take a few months, the expert said, noting that the shandong would become more powerful and combat-ready after the renovation.
A refurbishment of liaoningChina’s first aircraft carrier, took about six months, from July 2018 to January 2019, also in the Dalian shipyard, according to media reports.
