The outfitting process and system calibrations for China's first domestically designed aircraft carrier are going smoothly, and the defense ministry will announce the "good news" — referring to its sea trial — in the future, a Ministry of National Defense spokesman said on Thursday.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian made the remarks in response to recent photos of the carrier, known by its type designation 001A, showing the ship had finished installing its radar and removed most of its supporting scaffolds.

Construction of the carrier started in November 2013, and it was officially launched in April 2017.