The Jiangnan plant in Shanghai was quickly built and will be the site for China's largest aircraft carrier and carrier.

Comparing satellite images taken in October 2018 with April and September this year, experts said that the project of building a large aircraft carrier of China took place with a stable progress, and the facilities of the home. Jiangnan shipyard is being built rapidly on a large scale.

The vast harbor at the mouth of the Changjiang River is near completion, including a nearly one kilometer jetty and large buildings where the carrier parts are made. Much of the harbor area appears to have been abandoned about a year ago. The old harbor, where destroyers and other battleships docked, became small by the new harbor.

A satellite imaging analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that the carrier's pre-packed parts, partitions and other components are stacked nearby. The hull can be completed after 12 months, then transferred to the new port before being assembled.

"We can see the construction of the hull of the aircraft carrier takes place at a slow but continuous pace. What surprises me is that the image shows that large-scale facilities are being built at the same time. It's hard to imagine. "This is like a special space for aircraft carriers and other large ships," said analyst Matthew Funaiole.

Singaporean expert Collin Koh said the facility was built on a small island inhabited by the Changjiang River, which has a higher level of security than the shipyards in Dalian City, northern China. The new plant could help strengthen cooperation between civil and military shipyards.

"New facilities at the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai appear to be built for long-term service. They reflect China's ambition to strengthen the fleet capacity. The facilities are built quickly." on a large scale, it was the start of another large carrier and battleship factory, "said Collin Koh.

The Chinese Navy has just launched four large Type 055 cruisers and the first Type 075 helicopter carrier. China has not officially announced plans to build a third aircraft carrier, Type 002, But the country's media said the ship was being built.

Funaiole contends that China's third aircraft carrier is smaller than the US 100,000-tonne water carrier, but will be larger than the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

According to the annual Pentagon review published in May, China's third aircraft carrier is expected to have a flat deck and be equipped with a catapult, allowing longer range aircraft to be injected. halberds carry more weapons than they take off.

The first two Chinese aircraft carriers, Liaoning and the Type 001A, are relatively small in size, equipped with jump jets and carry up to 25 fighter jets. American carriers are regularly deployed with four times as many aircraft as Chinese ships.

Security and military experts consider the Liaoning and Type 001A aircraft carriers to essentially act as training ships. China has ambitions to build six aircraft carriers by 2030, but it must also produce escort warships and submarines and corresponding aircraft.

"China's military shipyards are concentrating on building larger sized surface ships. The Chinese naval capability may enter a new stage of development," according to a research institute statement. International Strategy.

Asian and Western nations are closely monitoring China's military modernization and naval development processes, and the aircraft carrier is considered a key component in its ambition to build a navy. far away from China and could challenge decades of US dominance in East Asia.

"The Chinese navy has not yet announced the details of its forces modernization plan, but based on the above construction works, we can see their ambition is very great," said a European military attaché. Asia said anonymously.