July 21, 2011:  State-controlled Chinese media recently revealed that the new Chinese aircraft carrier, the Shi Lang will be used mainly for training. China has already publicized a program for naval aviators, with over a hundred students involved so far. It's also rumored that the Shi Lang will go to sea in a month or so for sea trials. In the last few months, the Shi Lang (formerly Varyag) has had all of its weapons installed. The government also officially admitted recently that the Shi Lang actually exists. Meanwhile, numerous unofficial photos have appeared showing the two main weapon systems that have been installed (launchers for FL-3000N anti-missile missiles and AK-1030 automatic cannon anti-missile systems.)

Shi Lang/Varyag is one of the Kuznetsov class carriers that Russia began building in the 1980s. Originally the Kuznetsovs were to be 90,000 ton, nuclear powered ships, similar to American carriers (complete with steam catapults). Instead, because of the high cost, and the complexity of modern (American style) carriers, the Russians were forced to scale back their plans, and ended up with 65,000 ton (full load) ships that lacked steam catapults, and used a ski jump type flight deck instead. Nuclear power was dropped, but the Kuznetsov class was still a formidable design. The 323 meter (thousand foot) long ship normally carries a dozen navalized Su-27s (called Su-33s), 14 Ka-27PL anti-submarine helicopters, two electronic warfare helicopters and two search and rescue helicopters. But the ship was meant to regularly carry 36 Su-33s and sixteen helicopters. The ship carries 2,500 tons of aviation fuel, allowing it to generate 500-1,000 aircraft and helicopter sorties. Crew size is 2,500 (or 3,000 with a full aircraft load.) Only two ships of this class exist; the original Kuznetsov, which is in Russian service, and the Varyag.

China is believed to be building the first of several locally designed aircraft carriers, but little is known of this project.