It has a two-island superstructure configuration, a design that has never been used on any other Chinese ships and is aimed to better facilitate aviation operations, a full-length flight deck and an electromagnetic launch system, or electromagnetic catapult, which will be used to launch fixed-wing aircraft, the PLA Navy said in a news release.

After a brief launch ceremony on Friday morning at Hudong-Zhonghua, water was pumped into a dry dock in which the ship's hull was built.

Guests at the ceremony — leaders from the Navy and the Sichuan provincial government, executives of China State Shipbuilding Corp, as well as some of the vessel's designers and construction workers — applauded as they watched the launch process.