 The aircraft carrierShandong docked atDalian in 2019 prior to commissioning | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Dalian Shipbuilding Industry |
| Operators |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Preceded by | Type 001Liaoning |
| Succeeded by | Type 003Fujian |
| Completed | 1 |
| History | |
| China | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Shandong province |
| Builder | Dalian Shipbuilding Industry |
| Laid down | March 2013 |
| Launched | 26 April 2017 |
| Completed | 25 April 2018 |
| Commissioned | 17 December 2019 |
| Motto | (Simplified Chinese: 忠诚，勇毅，精武，制胜)：Loyalty, Perseverance, Readiness, Victory[1] |
| Status | In active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type 002 (variant ofKuznetsov-classaircraft carrier) |
| Type | STOBARAircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 60,000 to 70,000 tons, full load[2] |
| Length | 305 m (1,000 ft 8 in)[citation needed] |
| Beam | 75 m (246 ft 1 in)[3] |
| Propulsion | Conventional steam turbines, 4 shafts |
| Speed | 31knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)[3] |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
Shandong (17;Chinese:山东舰;pinyin:Shāndōng Jiàn) is a Chineseaircraft carrier that waslaunched on 26 April 2017 for thePeople's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of thePeople's Republic of China.[6] She is the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier and second in PLAN service after the completion and commissioning ofLiaoning, from which she is derived.Shandong's class was initially suspected to be designatedType 001A[7] (asLiaoning received the designation Type 001) but was revealed to beType 002 at her commissioning ceremony.[8] The class received theNATO reporting nameKuznetsov Mod. ("modified"), since the design of the ship is a modified version of and similar to theKuznetsov-class aircraft carrier originally made for theSoviet Navy.[9][10]
Shandong was constructed by theDalian Shipbuilding Industry, part of theChina Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, inDalian,Liaoning province, China.[11] According to the stateXinhua News Agency, manufacture began in November 2013 andlaid down thekeel for its hull in adry dock beginning in March 2015.[11]
The Chinese government did not publicly confirm the ship's existence until construction was well under way. 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.[12][13] In October 2015, the first definitive signs of the vessel's role appeared when construction of a hangar deck began on the hull.[13] 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.[14]
In May 2016, theski-jump takeoff ramp was noted to be close to installation.[15] The ship's islandsuperstructure was fabricated in two parts: the nine-deck forward half, containing thebridge and main mast, was installed by September of that year; the aft half, with thefunnel and air intakes, was installed in the weeks that followed.[16][17] By the end of 2016, the ship was substantially structurally complete.[18]
Following the launch, the carrier wasfitted-out and underwent early tests of the propulsion system.[19] The dockside system trials began after the out-fitting was completed in November 2017.[20]
At the time of her 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 she could enter the navy fleet in 2019.[19] While her predecessor CNSLiaoning has been used largely as atraining ship since she entered active service in 2012, theType 002 is expected to be used in regular military operational service.[21]
The first sea trial of the carrier took place in May 2018 in theBohai Sea.[22] 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:[2]
Thearresting 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, theelectronic warfare (EW) version of the aircraft, was also spotted on deck on 9 October 2018.[2]
The carrier wascommissioned on 17 December 2019 atSanya, Hainan byCentral Military Commission chairmanXi Jinping and was officially namedShandong.[23] After commissioning, according to Chinese mediaShandong reached in October 2020initial operating capability (IOC) or basic standards for deployment, which her predecessorLiaoning only attained six years after commissioning, in 2018.[24][25] Lai Yijun, asenior captain who previously commanded PLAN frigateLianyungang, was the captain ofShandong at commissioning.[23]
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During the April 2023United Sharp Sword military exercises,Shandong was deployed in thePhilippine Sea, where she simulated air and sea strikes on neighbouringTaiwan from waters close toOkinawa, according to a report fromJapan's Ministry of Defense. Several PLAN jet fighters and helicopters took off and landed on the carrier 120 times in 48 hours.[26]Shandong, three other warships, and a support vessel came to within 230 kilometres of Japan'sMiyako Islands at one stage.[27]Taiwan's defence ministry also released a map that showed fourShenyang J-15 fighters flying to the island's east, with the Chinese military later confirming fighters fromShandong, loaded with live ammunition, had "carried out multiple waves of simulated strikes on important targets".[28]Shandong and other vessels accompanying her (oneType 055 destroyer, twoType 052D destroyers, twoType 054A frigates, and a singleType 901 replenishment ship) thereafter sailed east into thePacific Ocean, at one point coming within 600 kilometers ofGuam,[29] before finally turning westwards and entering theSouth China Sea via theBashi Channel at the end of April.[30] TheShandong later returned to thePhilippine Sea for a five-day deployment in September 2023, while also staging a 12 day deployment in the same area in late October 2023.[31] In early November 2023, theShandong was detected sailing north through theTaiwan Strait, possibly towardsDalian shipyard for maintenance, by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.[32]
TheShandong entered the Philippine Sea for a nine-day deployment in July 2024 and conducted a series of operations approximately 300 miles east of theLuzon Strait. A large escort fleet (cruisers CNS Yan’an and CNS Xianyang,destroyers CNS Guilin and CNS Zhanjiang, frigate CNS Yuncheng and support ship CNS Chaganhu) was also detected in the area. Japanese authorities monitoring theShandong carrier strike group observed 240 fighter aircraft launches / recoveries (most likelyShenyang J-15 jets) and 140 helicopter take-offs & landings, withJapan Air Self-Defense Force scrambling its own jet aircraft in response. TheShandong finally sailed toYulin Naval Base inHainan at the conclusion of the exercises.[33] TheShandong then returned to the same area in August 2024 for further exercises.Japan Maritime Self Defense Force vessels observed the cruiser CNS Yan’an, destroyer CNS Zhanjiang and frigate CNS Yuncheng escorting theShandong during its August deployment.[34]
In late October 2024, theShandong conducted dual aircraft carrier formation exercises withthe Liaoning for the first time in theSouth China Sea, alongside a dozen escort vessels, including destroyers, frigates, and replenishment ships. Special dual-carrier tactics were rehearsed over several days by the Chinese naval task force, such as one carrier practicing surface attacks while the other simulated the seizure of air superiority and conducting air defense operations.[35]
On 1 April 2025, as part of the combinedPLA Navy andChina Coast Guard “Strait Thunder 2025A”war games surrounding Taiwan, theShandong entered Taiwan's self-declared "military response zone" and at one point maneuvered 24 nautical miles off Taiwan’s coast, which was the closest it had ever sailed along the Taiwanese mainland.[36]Taiwan's Defence Ministry released a statement that they had dispatched their own warships and aircraft to intercept theShandong aircraft carrier group, adding that they had not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military vessels.[37] The PLAEastern Theatre Command later announced that theShandong task group would conduct naval exercises in waters to the east of Taiwan, such as simulatedair strikes on maritime targets and the seizure of areaair superiority.[38]
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported in May 2025 that the Shandong, had “expelled” aircraft carriers from a foreign country that had been “showing off power” in the South China Sea.[39] The report did not say from which country these ships were or on what date the incidents happened.
In early June 2025, theShandong along with theLiaoning both conducted navigation exercises past theSecond Island Chain for the first time.[40][41][42] TheShandong naval group, which also consisted of Type 055 destroyerZunyi andType 052D guided-missile destroyer Zhanjiang, as well as Type 054A guided-missile frigatesYuncheng andHengshui along with fast combat support shipChaganhu, was detected by the Japanese defence ministry conducting take-off and landing drills involving jet fighters and helicopters around theBonin Islands approximately 100 kilometers to the north ofOkinotorishima atoll. TheLiaoning naval group, which was escorted byType 055 guided-missile destroyer Wuxi andType 052D guided-missile destroyer Tangshan, Type 055 destroyerNanchang, Type 052D destroyerQiqihar, Type 054A guided-missile frigateYantai, and replenishment shipKekexilihu, as well as fast combat support shipHulunhu, was also detected performing aircraft training drills around 300 kilometers southwest ofMinamitorishima island.[43]Defence Minister of TaiwanWellington Koo commented on 11 June that the crossing of the Second Island Chain was "a definite political message" from thePeople's Liberation Army Navy.[44]Chief Cabinet Secretary of JapanYoshimasa Hayashi later revealed that aShenyang J-15 from theShandong had intercepted aP-3C patrol aircraft of theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force over international waters around 550 kilometers south east ofMiyako Island during the same drills.[45] As of 17 June, aircraft carried out an estimated 230 takeoffs and landings onShandong during the training exercise, according to observers from the JMSDF.[46] On 30 June 2025, the PLA announced that both carriers had returned to their home ports after they had completed "combat training on the high seas".[47]
On 3 July,Shandong and two destroyers and one frigate from its strike group—destroyersYanan andZhanjiang, and the frigateYuncheng—arrived inHong Kong on a visit to increase patriotism, shortly after the 28th anniversary of thehandover of Hong Kong. The vessels were open for public tours in Hong Kong for a number of days, with all 10,000 tickets to visit them sold out. The aircraft carrier was also inspected byJohn Lee Ka-chiu, the chief executive of Hong Kong.[48][49] After the visit concluded theShandong carrier strike group departed for its home port on 7 July.[50]
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The aircraft carrier's external design is largely based on China's first carrierLiaoning, which was itself built from the partially-complete hull of the SovietKuznetsov-class aircraft carrierVaryag.[16] It retains the ski-jump takeoff, which limits itsair wing to helicopters andShenyang J-15 fighter jets of thePeople's Liberation Army Navy Air Force,[15][18] and the ship is powered by conventional oil-fired boilers driving eight steam turbines derived from the Soviet-designed examples installed onLiaoning.[16][51] It measures about 305 metres (1,001 ft) long, with adisplacement of about 55,000metric tons (54,000long tons) (66,000–70,000 t, 65,000–69,000 long tons loaded).[6][21]
While sharing a superficial resemblance toLiaoning, the design details ofShandong are drastically changed and display a higher priority on aircraft operations. The silo space reserved for anti-ship missiles located below the forward flight deck, which was part of the originalKuznetsov design, was removed from the design ofShandong completely, freeing up spaces for additional hangar area.[52] The ski jump angle was optimized from 14.0° to 12.0°, which is the ideal take-off angle for launching theShenyang J-15 fighter.[52] The island structure is smaller by 10%, and sponsons are extended in the aft-starboard section, allowing more space for up to eight more aircraft and helicopters. A second glaze deck was added to the island, improving flight operation efficiency.[52]
Shandong, like its predecessor, uses the simpler "short take-off barrier-arrested recovery" (STOBAR) launch and recovery system.
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