Unnamed Carrier News

China first domestically developed aircraft carrier looks set to begin sea trials after pictures appeared on the Chinese internet on Monday of it leaving its dock in the northeastern port of Dalian. The still-unnamed carrier was launched this time last year but since then has been undergoing fitting of weapons and other systems and has not yet entered service. Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing an ambitious military modernisation scheme, including stealth jets and anti-satellite missiles, as China ramps up its presence in the disputed South China Sea and around self-ruled Taiwan, an island it considers its own. Online Chinese news portals…

Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. won a $3.8 billion U.S. Navy contract to design and construct the 10th and last Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN 77. The unnamed carrier is scheduled for delivery in 2008 and will serve as the first transition ship to a new class of carriers, Newport News said. The company will also be responsible for delivering the ship's warfare systems, which was a task previously performed by the Navy. That includes development and procurement of the warfare system through a subcontract to Lockheed Martin Corp. and overall integration of the system into the ship. The carrier's warfare system will incorporate a new multi-function radar system and an information network that allows new technology to be inserted in a cost-effective way, the company said.

Military ship and submarine builder Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. on Friday posted flat fourth-quarter earnings, but beat targets in part on a ramp-up in activity on the Virginia-class submarine and a stock buyback that cut the number of shares outstanding. For 2001, the company said revenues would be even with last year, as first-quarter revenues are hurt by submarine volume reported in the last quarter of 2000. Still, per-share profits should grow due to improved margins. Virginia-based Newport News, maker of the world's largest warships, reported fourth-quarter net income of $24 million, unchanged from a year ago. On a per share basis…