Transport helicopter takes off from China's new aircraft carrier

The Changhe Z-18 helicopter took off from a warship in Dalian city, Liaoning province today and returned and landed five minutes later, according toGlobal Times. Images of helicopters in action were shared on Chinese social media.

The information was released after the Liaoning Maritime Safety Administration announced that Bohai Bay and the northern Yellow Sea would be closed from May 4 to May 11 due to military activities. The restricted areas are located near the Type 001A aircraft carrier construction site.in the northeastern province. The 65,000-ton ship was launched in April last year.

Yue Gang, a military analyst, said the helicopter flight and the navigation ban were signs that sea trials could be coming soon. "There are a lot of preparations going on, they are getting closer to the first sea trial," he said.

Military observers have been watching for signs that the new aircraft carrier is preparing for sea trials since state media reported on April 23 that tugboats were removing it from its moorings. A navigation ban on ships using the area due to military activities was also in place around that time.

But analysts say there is still much work to be done before the ship is tested at sea.Zhou Chenming, a military commentator on Phoenix Television, said it usually takes more than a year to prepare for a sea trial, as China has little experience with aircraft carriers and needs time to coordinate relevant naval units.