The arched bow, known as a ski jump deck, is a feature of China’s second aircraft carrier based on a former Soviet design.
TOKYO — China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier will likely be set afloat by the end of the year, according to multiple Chinese military sources.

The country already has an aircraft carrier named the Liaoning, but that vessel is a refurbished former Soviet carrier. Beijing purchased the ship, then known as the Varyag, from Ukraine more than a decade ago.

The new vessel is believed to share its basic design with the Liaoning. The two ships are rather compact for aircraft carriers, weighing around 50,000 tons. Both are powered by conventional engines. The new vessel, under construction at a shipyard in Dalian, Liaoning Province, will carry China’s mainstay Shenyang J-15 fighter jets.

China’s Ministry of National Defense acknowledged late last year that the country was building its second aircraft carrier, but has been silent about the project since. A photo obtained by The Nikkei shows that the vessel’s angled bow, nicknamed a “ski jump” deck, had been mostly completed by early August. The basic construction of the flight deck has now been finished, according to the sources.

Since construction below the flight deck will continue after the ship is afloat, delivery to the navy is believed to still be a year or two away. The carrier likely won’t be ready for action for a few more years

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/New-Chinese-aircraft-carrier-to-hit-water-by-end-of-year?n_cid=NARAN012