REUTERS
October 12, 2023 at 17:12 JST
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sails through the Miyako Strait near Okinawa on its way to the Pacific in this handout photo taken by Japan Self-Defense Forces and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan on April 4, 2021. (Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/via REUTERS)
BEIJING--China is refurbishing its oldest aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, with new weapons systems and radar, and the vessel is expected to return to duty this year, according to media reports.
The ex-Soviet vessel, which China bought from Ukraine in 1998, is expected to rotate with China’s second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, in exercises and missions, state-backed Global Times reported on Tuesday, citing an expert.
Other maintenance work on the Liaoning includes repainting its flight desk at a Dalian shipyard in China’s northeastern Liaoning province, Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po reported on Tuesday.
China is boosting its military power and building a navy capable of distant operations. It is also expected to launch sea trials for its first domestically built and designed aircraft carrier, Fujian, this year.
Liaoning had this year carried out air defense and anti-submarine training the western Pacific Ocean, Chinese state media reported in April.
It was also sighted in January by Japan during training, which caused Japan to scramble fighter jets and dispatch warships.
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