China's first ever domestically built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, will not complete its sea trials in time to be able to participate in the naval parade planned for October 1, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
“Based on its current progress [in its sea trials], the carrier won't appear on October 1. It's more likely the giant ship will be ready by the end of the year, and then be formally commissioned into the navy,” an anonymous military source told the South China Morning Post.
“I am disappointed with such a result, but it's a fact that the Type 001A is not on the weapons list for the National Day celebration,” the source added. “The ship needs to complete a series of laborious and comprehensive tests, which is the most important stage in proving it is a real battleship.”
According to naval expert Li Jie, the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is a national defense organization in China, has recently set higher standards for tests military hardware must successfully pass.
“The CMC demands all new weapons undergo a series of strict tests and trials, and no longer allows these things to be rushed through so they [the hardware] are ready by a certain date or so they can take part in a parade,” he told the South China Morning Post.
The 65,000-tonne aircraft was launched in April 2017 and has since undergone at least six rounds of sea trials. However, it hasn't yet met its “initial…
