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Liaoning 2012

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
辽宁 [Liaoning] (ex-Variag, ex-Riga)	16		Black Sea Yd, Nikolayev, USSR-Ukraine // Dalian SY	6.12.1985	25.11.1988	24.9.2012	in service (2019)

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	46600
Displacement full, t	60000
Length, m	281.00 pp 304.5 oa
Breadth, m	38.0 wl 71.0 deck
Draught, m	10.5 max
No of shafts	4
Machinery	4 GTZA-674 geared steam turbines, 8 KVG-4 boilers
Power, h. p.	200000
Max speed, kts	30
Fuel, t	oil
Endurance, nm(kts)	8500(18)
Armament	3 x 18 HQ-10 FL-3000N SAM (54 HQ-10), 3 x 11 - 30/80 type 1130, 2 x 6 RBU-12000 ASWRL, 48 aircraft (J-15 fighters, Z-18F, Z-18J, Z-9C helicopters)
Electronic equipment	type 346, type 382, nav., 3x type 347G, 2x type 756 radars, ECM suite, 4 24-tubes and 2 16-tubes decoy RL, CCS
Complement	2500

Air group

Year	Fighters	Helicopters
2014	24 J-15	4 Z-18F, 4 Z-18J, 2 Z-9C, 2 Ka-31

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

 (fd - 14,800 m², ha - 3,978 m² / 31,824 m³): Flight deck: 304.5 x 71.0m. Hangar: 153.0 x 26.0 x 8.00 m. There are 2 deck-edge elevators (40t, 20 x 15m). There is a ski-jump. Aircraft fuel stowage: 2500 t of jet fuel.

Project history

Sister-ship of the Russian Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov, laid down as Riga but renamed Variag when Latvia separated from the USSR. Building was suspended in 1990 and in 1991, when Ukraine separated from the USSR, incomplete ship was abandoned. In 1998 she was purchased by China but arrived Dalian only 3.3.2002. Renovation and fitting out lasted till early 2010. Sea trials began in August 2011 and finished one year later. In fact first Chinese aircraft carrier began her service with Soviet-developed aircraft (J-15 fighter is really a Chinese copy of Russian Su-33 carrier fighter and Z-18 helicopter is a Chinese copy of Russian Ka-27/28/29/31 family.

Ship protection

Underwater protection consists of 3 longitudinal bulkheads (2nd bulkhead is armoured). Aviation fuel tanks and magazines have box protection.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

No significant events.