China launched its first domestically-constructed aircraft carrier in the north-eastern port of Dalian on Wednesday, according to state media. The unnamed vessel (classified as Type 001A) is set to become operational by 2020 and it's the country's second aircraft carrier after the Liaoning, a refurbished Soviet ship purchased from Ukraine in 1998. China's aircraft carrier program is steeped in secrecy and it is part of an ambitious expansion of the country's navy amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. How does the Type 001A class compare with the latest American supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford? As the following infographic shows, she boasts an air wing considerably larger than the Chinese carrier, along with state of the art electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft.

Source: Forbes April 26, 2017 12:22 UTC