Concrete evidence of China's naval ambitions

The concrete aircraft carrier near Wuhan in central China, which is built on the roof of a

government building, and, inset, the ski ramp style take-off platform

07 Feb 2011By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent THE TELEGRAPH

China has secretly built a concrete aircraft carrier for pilot training as part of its military build-up, intelligence sources have disclosed.

The large concrete structure, complete with a bridge, landing deck and ski ramp take-off platform has been constructed far inland near the city of Wuhan. The ''carrier'' will allow Chinese navy pilots to practise landing approaches and train ground crew. It is unclear whether planes have actually taken off or landed on the structure, but secretly taken pictures have shown what appears to be a Su-33 Flanker strike jet and naval helicopters on the flight deck.