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Jet lands on China's new aircraft carrier

BEIJING, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The Chinese military announced the first successful landing of a Chinese-built fighter jet on the deck of its first aircraft carrier Sunday.

The retrofitted carrier Liaoning was launched Sept. 25 and has undergone more than 100 sea and tactical tests, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The Soviet Union built the carrier in 1988 and China bought it from Ukraine, a former Soviet state, in 1998.

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The Chinese navy said it was satisfied with test results both for the ship and the new fighter jet.

"Capabilities of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all requirements and achieving good compatibility," the agency quoted the navy as saying.

The military said the new aircraft is comparable to the F-18 and Russian Su-33 fighter planes and is capable of launching anti-ship, air-to-air, air-to-ground missiles and precision-guided bombs.

China also obtained two other Soviet-era carriers and a decommissioned carrier from Australia, which have not been retrofitted.

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