Shandong was constructed by the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, part of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. According to the state media service Xinhua, manufacture began in November 2013 and laid down the keel for its hull in a drydock beginning in March 2015. The Chinese government did not publicly confirm the ship's existence until construction was well underway. Satellite imagery for the defense analysis industry showed the aircraft carrier in the early stages of hull assembly by March 2015. Public photos of a hull with military characteristics at the Dalian shipyard surfaced on the internet the next month. In October 2015, the first definitive signs of the vessel's role appeared when construction of a hangar deck began on the hull. In December 2015, a Chinese defense ministry spokesman confirmed that the ship was an aircraft carrier, stating that the design and construction work was under way. In May 2016, the ski jump takeoff ramp was noted to be close to installation. The ship's island superstructure was fabricated in two parts: the nine-deck forward half, containing the bridge and main mast, was installed by September of that year; the aft half, with the funnel and air intakes, was installed in the weeks that followed. By the end of 2016, the ship was substantially structurally complete.
Out-fitting
Following the launch, the carrier was fitted-out and underwent early tests of the propulsion system. The dockside system trials began after the out-fitting was completed in November 2017. At the time of its launch, the ship was not expected to be delivered to PLAN until 2020; however, successful early tests put the project ahead of schedule and media reports indicated that it could enter the navy fleet in 2019. While its predecessor has been used largely as a training ship since it entered active service in 2012, the Type 002 is expected to be used in regular military operational service.
Sea trials
The first sea trial of the carrier took place in May 2018 in the Bohai Sea. This was followed by eight more trials through November 2019 for a total of about 19 months before the carrier was commissioned. The ninth and final sea trial, which commenced from 14 November 2019, was conducted simultaneously with a training exercise in South China Sea. The dates and durations of the sea trials are as follow:
Seventh sea trial: 1–4 August 2019 and 6–22 August 2019
Eighth sea trial: 15–20 October 2019
Ninth sea trial: from 14 November 2019
The arresting gear was installed on 11 September 2018 after the second sea trial. This was immediately followed by flight tests of the J–15, Z–18 and Z–9 on 14 September 2018. J–15D, the Electronic Warfare version of the aircraft, was also spotted on deck on 9 October 2018.
Commissioning
The carrier was commissioned on 17 December 2019 at Sanya, Hainan by Central Military Commission chairman Xi Jinping and was officially named Shandong. After commissioning, Shandong would still need to reach Initial Operational Capability or basic standards for deployment, which its predecessor Liaoning only attained six years after commissioning, in 2018. Lai Yijun, a senior captain who previously commanded PLAN frigate Lianyungang was the captain of Shandong at commissioning.
Design
The aircraft carrier's design is largely based on China's first carrier Liaoning, which was itself built from the partially-complete hull of the Soviet Varyag. It retains the ski jump takeoff, which limits its air wing to helicopters and Shenyang J-15fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force, and the ship is powered by conventional oil-fired boilers driving eight steam turbines derived from the Soviet-designed examples installed on Liaoning. It measures about long, with a displacement of about 55,000 tonnes. However, it carries modifications and upgrades compared to Liaoning. It has increased storage for ammunition and fuel, with a larger aircraft capacity of 44 aircraft, eight more than Liaoning. Shandong has a broader flight deck but a shorter island superstructure than Liaoning to give more space for aircraft movements. The island also has redesigned radars and a new bridge, while the fleet command and flight control tower are on separate floors for more efficiency. It includes an active electronically scanned array radar system. Shandong, like its predecessor, uses the simpler "short take-off but arrested recovery" launch and recovery system. Future carriers, such as the Type 003 aircraft carrier, are planned to use an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System that allows the launch of heavier and more advanced aircraft such as the Shenyang J-31 or the Chengdu J-20.
