A video has surfaced on social media showcasing the first sea outing of a mysterious ship built in China, which resembles an aircraft carrier in design. Notably, this vessel features three superstructures or "islands," a characteristic typically associated with aircraft carriers, whereas ships of this class usually have one or two "islands."
At the same time, the name and specifications of this ship, along with its actual functionality and purpose, remain unknown, leaving all information about this "aircraft carrier" with three "islands" at the level of speculation. This is discussed in a publication by the portal The War Zone.
As noted by the authors of the portal, there is a certain dissonance in this story due to the absence of any markings indicating its affiliation with the Navy of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) or a direct military purpose for this vessel. Therefore, there is room for speculation that this ship may have a "civilian" or "research" designation.
This unnamed ship displays an emblem indicating its association with CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation), which also raises the possibility that Chinese shipbuilders are testing technological solutions for new-class military vessels.
Interestingly, the smokestacks on this ship are positioned on the third "island" located at the stern, which is quite an unusual design choice. Additionally, there is a clear distinction between the flight and hangar decks, a classic feature of any aircraft carrier.
It is also noted that the launch of this ship occurred around September-October 2024, as documented in corresponding satellite images.
Moreover, it is worth mentioning that publicly available information indicates that in 2022, the Chinese government ordered the development of a new type of universal landing ship, which was to feature a flight deck and a dock chamber for launching and receiving landing craft.
The stated requirements for this development include the capability for "dual" use, a hull length of 200 meters, a flight deck width of 25 meters, a full displacement of 15,000 tons, a range of 5,000 nautical miles, and autonomy of 40 days.
From Defense Express, we emphasize that the above narrative vividly illustrates the level of data scarcity regarding China's defense and technological capabilities, a problem that Western media have encountered before. Previously, we reported that China did not refuel missiles with water and a non-nuclear submarine sank there, which is somewhat of a mix-up by Western media.