This morning, Xu Hongmeng, a national people's congress deputy and deputy commander of the Navy, told Legal Evening News that there are plans to commission an aircraft carrier this year. On August 10, 2011, China's first aircraft carrier platform conducted its maiden voyage test, returning to port on the morning of August 14, for a total duration of five days. In the following period, the aircraft carrier conducted three more navigation tests. A spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense Information Office stated that the aircraft carrier is mainly used for scientific research experiments and training.
National People's Congress Deputy and former commander of a naval testing base, Cao Dongshen, indicated that China’s aircraft carriers are still in their infancy. Modern warfare is a systemic war; one aircraft carrier cannot solve all problems, relying solely on the aircraft carrier will not win battles. General Xu Xiaoyan, national people's congress deputy and son of Xu Xiangqian, mentioned that it will take some time for China to have its own domestically produced aircraft carrier. He explained that because the aircraft carrier is a very complex project, it requires a long time to adapt. Moreover, new features such as high-speed aircraft have appeared on the aircraft carrier, necessitating some time.
This morning, at the second plenary session held in the Great Hall of the People, Xu Hongmeng told Legal Evening News that the current trial voyage is proceeding very smoothly. Xu Hongmeng also stated that the fighter jet trials are also within the plan. This year, the aircraft carrier is scheduled [to be commissioned].
The latest information shows that model aircraft of the same size as real ones have been placed on the "Varyag" aircraft carrier currently berthed in Dalian Port. The UK's Jane's Defence Weekly website reported that, so far, the model aircraft allocated to the former "Varyag" aircraft carrier include the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter aircraft and the Changhe Z-8 helicopter equipped with an early airborne warning system (AEW). Last year, the J-15 carrier-based fighter aircraft underwent shore-based tests for short take-off, landing, and arresting systems.