707工程
1970年，代号“707工程”的中国第一代航母计划悄然立项。彼时，海军装备技术基础极为薄弱，原始设计方案以3万吨级舰体搭载垂直/短距起降战机，带有浓厚的探索色彩。然而，垂直起降战机、弹射器、阻拦装置等关键技术无一成熟，加之核潜艇工程对有限资源的严重挤占，项目启动后因多种原因被迫中止。
但在另一条架空时间线里，PLAN参考了法国克莱蒙梭级和美国埃塞克斯级航母的大量公开资料以及部分内部设计图纸选择放弃原定的STOVL路线，转而采用弹射起飞/阻拦降落（CATOBAR）方案；与此同时，PLAN正式确立了“两条腿走路”的方针：核潜艇项目继续推进，航母探索另辟蹊径、独立发展。
设计团队于1971年6月完成了重新设计，同年年底铺设龙骨，1979年下水。707工程在国家经济困难与技术封锁的双重压力下艰难推进。数以万计的工人、技术人员和海军官兵投入其中，许多关键设备——从蒸汽弹射器到阻拦装置，再到舰用特种钢材——几乎都是从零开始攻关，最终于1981年4月23日入役，
随着周边海权争端的加剧，中央军委于1996年4月批准了707工程的现代化改造计划：
武器系统方面，加装4座“海红旗-7”近程舰空导弹和4座4联装“鹰击-83”反舰导弹发射箱补强防空反舰能力，同时升级舰上雷达/火控系统。
舰载机方面，从特殊渠道引进了8架“海鹞”FA.2垂直起降战斗机。
同时改造期间曾秘密测试过雅克-141和T-10K-7验证机，为人民海军后续的超音速垂直起降舰载机和重型舰载战斗机研制以及大型航母项目积累了宝贵的第一手数据和操作经验。
改造工作于2001年顺利完成。
最终于2012年年底退役并改造为海军博物馆舰，永久停泊在青岛海军博物馆。
————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
In 1970, China’s first-generation aircraft carrier program—codenamed "Project 707"—was quietly initiated. At the time, the Navy’s technological and industrial base was extremely weak; the original design concept, which envisioned a 30,000-ton hull carrying Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) aircraft, was highly experimental in nature. However, none of the critical technologies—such as V/STOL aircraft, catapults, or arresting gear—were sufficiently mature. Furthermore, the concurrent nuclear submarine program placed severe demands on the nation’s limited resources; consequently, the project was forced to a halt shortly after its inception due to a confluence of factors.
Yet, in an alternate timeline, the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy)—drawing upon extensive public data and select internal design schematics from France’s *Clemenceau*-class and the U.S. *Essex*-class carriers—opted to abandon its original STOVL strategy in favor of a Catapult-Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) configuration. Concurrently, the PLAN formally established a "two-pronged" development strategy: the nuclear submarine program would continue its forward momentum, while the aircraft carrier initiative would forge a distinct path, pursuing independent development.
The design team completed the redesign in June 1971; the keel was laid by the end of that same year, and the vessel was launched in 1979. Project 707 advanced with great difficulty, contending with the dual pressures of national economic hardship and technological embargoes. Tens of thousands of workers, technicians, and naval personnel dedicated themselves to the effort; numerous critical components—ranging from steam catapults and arresting gear to specialized naval-grade steel—had to be developed almost entirely from scratch. The vessel was finally commissioned on April 23, 1981.
As maritime sovereignty disputes in the surrounding region intensified, the Central Military Commission approved a modernization plan for Project 707 in April 1996:
Regarding weapon systems, four "HQ-7" short-range surface-to-air missile launchers and four quadruple "YJ-83" anti-ship missile canisters were installed to bolster the vessel’s air defense and anti-ship capabilities; simultaneously, the ship’s radar and fire control systems underwent comprehensive upgrades.
Regarding the air wing, eight "Sea Harrier" FA.2 V/STOL fighter jets were acquired through special channels. Concurrently, during the refitting period, secret trials were conducted involving the Yak-141 and T-10K-7 demonstrator aircraft; this effort yielded invaluable firsthand data and operational experience for the People’s Navy’s subsequent development of supersonic vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) carrier-based aircraft, heavy carrier-based fighter jets, and large-scale aircraft carrier programs.
The refitting work was successfully completed in 2001.
Ultimately, the vessel was decommissioned at the end of 2012 and subsequently converted into a naval museum ship, now permanently moored at the Qingdao Naval Museum.
