Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning

*Liaoning* (16)
	The aircraft carrier Liaoning in Hong Kong in 2017
Class overview
Builders	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Kiev class
Succeeded by	Type 002 Shandong
Completed	1
History
→ Soviet Union → Ukraine
Name	Riga (1988) then Varyag (1990)
Namesake	City of Riga, Latvia (1988) then Varyag, named for the Varangians (1990), the name Varyag was then adopted by another cruiser.
Ordered	1983
Builder	Mykolaiv South; Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau;
Laid down	6 December 1985
Launched	4 December 1988
Completed	Abandoned (68% complete)
Fate	Sold to a Chinese buyer, 1998; Transferred to the Chinese navy, 2002;
China
Name	Liaoning; (Chinese: 辽宁舰);
Namesake	Liaoning Province
Builder	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry
Cost	US$ 120 Million (Former Ukraine)
Completed	2011
Commissioned	25 September 2012
Motto	(Simplified Chinese:保卫祖国，勇争第一)：Defend the motherland, strive to be the first.
Status	In active service
General characteristics for Varyag as originally designed
Class and type	Type 001, Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
Type	STOBAR aircraft carrier
Displacement	43,000 tons, light; 54,500 tons, normal; 60,900 tons, full load ;
Length	306.4 m (1,005 ft 3 in) o/a; 270 m (885 ft 10 in) w/l;
Beam	74.4 m (244 ft 1 in) o/a; 35 m (114 ft 10 in) w/l;
Installed power	Steam
Propulsion	Steam TV12 turbines, 8 KVG-4 boilers, 4 shafts, 200,000 hp (150 MW)[citation needed]; 4 × 50,000 hp (37 MW) turbines[citation needed]; 9 × 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) turbogenerators[citation needed]; 6 × 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) diesel generators[citation needed]; 4 × fixed pitch propellers[citation needed];
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	3,850 nmi (7,130 km; 4,430 mi) at 32 knots
Endurance	45 days
Complement	1,960 crew; 626 air group; 40 flag staff;
Sensors and ; processing systems	Type 346 radar S-band AESA; Type 382 Radar 3-D search;
General characteristics for Liaoning after refit
Class and type	Type 001 aircraft carrier
Armament	3 × Type 1130 CIWS; 3 × HQ-10 (18-cell missile system);
Aircraft carried	24 Shenyang J-15; 6 Changhe Z-18F; 6 Changhe Z-18J; 2 Harbin Z-9; Total of 40 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.[citation needed];

Liaoning (16; Chinese: 辽宁舰; pinyin: Liáoníng Jiàn) is a Chinese Type 001 aircraft carrier. The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, she was originally classified as a training ship, intended to allow the Navy to experiment, train and gain familiarity with aircraft carrier operations. Following upgrades and additional training in late 2018, Chinese state media announced that the ship would shift to a combat role in 2019.^[9]

Originally laid down in 1985 for the Soviet Navy as the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Riga, she was launched on 4 December 1988 and renamed Varyag in 1990.^[10] After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, construction was halted and the ship was put up for sale by Ukraine. The stripped hulk was purchased in 1998 and towed to the Dalian naval shipyard in northeast China.

The ship was rebuilt and commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as Liaoning on 25 September 2012. Its Chinese ship class designation is Type 001. In November 2016, the political commissar of Liaoning, Commodore Li Dongyou, stated that Liaoning was combat-ready.^[10]

^ "Ukrainians Slice Up Carrier Ulyanovsk". Defense News. 21–27 September 1992. A second aircraft carrier is 68 percent complete and lacks electronics, weapons systems and aircraft, but sale of the carrier to India or China "is a fairy tale scenario," said Antonov. Russia is the only realistic potential purchaser.
^ "細看福建艦艦徽大有玄機，使命任務已經標註，寓意深遠". 網易. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ "Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov". Rusnavy.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Kuznetsov Class: Project 1143.5". Globalsecurity.org. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "辽宁舰：我国第一艘航空母舰" (in Simplified Chinese). 央视新闻客户端. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
^ "Source: New Russian-Made Boilers for Admiral Kuznetsov to Serve 25 Years".
^ Rick Joe (20 May 2021). "China's J-15 Carrierborne Fighter: Sizing up the Competition". The Diplomat. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
^ "Liaoning (Varyag) Aircraft Carrier – SinoDefence". Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
^ "Beijing says Liaoning is now a 'combat carrier'". Asia Times. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
^ ^a ^b "How does China's first aircraft carrier stack up?". CSIS China Power. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

[defensenews1992-1] "Ukrainians Slice Up Carrier Ulyanovsk". Defense News. 21–27 September 1992. A second aircraft carrier is 68 percent complete and lacks electronics, weapons systems and aircraft, but sale of the carrier to India or China "is a fairy tale scenario," said Antonov. Russia is the only realistic potential purchaser.

[2] "細看福建艦艦徽大有玄機，使命任務已經標註，寓意深遠". 網易. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[Kuzspecs-3] "Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov". Rusnavy.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[Kuznetsov_specifications-4] "Kuznetsov Class: Project 1143.5". Globalsecurity.org. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[cctv-5] "辽宁舰：我国第一艘航空母舰" (in Simplified Chinese). 央视新闻客户端. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2022.

[6] "Source: New Russian-Made Boilers for Admiral Kuznetsov to Serve 25 Years".

[7] Rick Joe (20 May 2021). "China's J-15 Carrierborne Fighter: Sizing up the Competition". The Diplomat. Retrieved 18 June 2022.

[8] "Liaoning (Varyag) Aircraft Carrier – SinoDefence". Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.

[9] "Beijing says Liaoning is now a 'combat carrier'". Asia Times. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.

[stackup-10] "How does China's first aircraft carrier stack up?". CSIS China Power. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

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Class overview
The aircraft carrier Liaoning in Hong Kong in 2017
Builders	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Kiev class
Succeeded by	Type 002 Shandong
Completed	1
History
→ Soviet Union → Ukraine
Name	Riga (1988) then Varyag (1990)
Namesake	City of Riga, Latvia (1988) then Varyag, named for the Varangians (1990), the name Varyag was then adopted by another cruiser.
Ordered	1983
Builder	Mykolaiv South Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau
Laid down	6 December 1985
Launched	4 December 1988
Completed	Abandoned (68% complete)^[1]
Fate	Sold to a Chinese buyer, 1998 Transferred to the Chinese navy, 2002
China
Name	Liaoning (Chinese: 辽宁舰)
Namesake	Liaoning Province
Builder	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry
Cost	US$ 120 Million (Former Ukraine)
Completed	2011
Commissioned	25 September 2012
Motto	(Simplified Chinese:保卫祖国，勇争第一)：Defend the motherland, strive to be the first.^[2]
Status	In active service
General characteristics for Varyag as originally designed
Class and type	Type 001, Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
Type	STOBAR aircraft carrier
Displacement	43,000 tons, light^[3]^[4] 54,500 tons, normal^[5] 60,900 tons, full load ^[5]
Length	306.4 m (1,005 ft 3 in) o/a^[5] 270 m (885 ft 10 in) w/l
Beam	74.4 m (244 ft 1 in) o/a^[5] 35 m (114 ft 10 in) w/l
Installed power	Steam
Propulsion	Steam TV12 turbines, 8 KVG-4 boilers,^[6] 4 shafts, 200,000 hp (150 MW)^{[citation needed]} 4 × 50,000 hp (37 MW) turbines^{[citation needed]} 9 × 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) turbogenerators^{[citation needed]} 6 × 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) diesel generators^{[citation needed]} 4 × fixed pitch propellers^{[citation needed]}
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	3,850 nmi (7,130 km; 4,430 mi) at 32 knots
Endurance	45 days
Complement	1,960 crew 626 air group 40 flag staff
Sensors and processing systems	Type 346 radar S-band AESA Type 382 Radar 3-D search
General characteristics for Liaoning after refit
Class and type	Type 001 aircraft carrier
Armament	3 × Type 1130 CIWS 3 × HQ-10 (18-cell missile system)^[8]
Aircraft carried	24 Shenyang J-15^[7] 6 Changhe Z-18F 6 Changhe Z-18J 2 Harbin Z-9 Total of 40 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.^{[citation needed]}