Reports suggest that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) recently conducted exercises or tests with its three aircraft carriers for the first time. This display of strength comes ahead of the 12th anniversary of the commissioning of China’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning.
China currently operates two aircraft carriers – Liaoning and Shandong. Liaoning, a Soviet-era carrier commissioned in 2012, was China’s first aircraft carrier. Shandong is China’s first domestically built carrier. The third carrier, Fujian, is China’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, equipped with a powerful aircraft launching system. Fujian is currently undergoing sea trials before being commissioned.
The Global Times, a publication affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, reported that China’s aircraft carrier program is progressing rapidly. The Liaoning conducted routine exercises in the West Pacific to enhance combat capabilities, according to Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
Each carrier follows a deployment cycle, spending time on station, in transit, in home port for maintenance, crew rest, and training, or at sea for crew training or operations. Both conventionally powered and nuclear-powered carriers undergo multiple deployment cycles within one operating cycle.
Type 001
The Liaoning aircraft carrier (Type 001) was observed north of Taiwan and near Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Defence detected the carrier group’s movement in its economic waters. The group, known as a Carrier Battle Group (CBG), sailed from the East China Sea towards the Philippine Sea, passing between Japanese islands.
The Global Times reported that the group conducted takeoffs and landings of fighter jets and helicopters southeast of the Miyako Islands, part of the First Island Chain, a strategically significant boundary in the Pacific.
This marks the first time Chinese warships entered Japan’s contiguous waters, a move deemed “completely unacceptable” by Japan.
Type 002
The Shandong aircraft carrier (Type 002) recently conducted night-time operation certification tests for new fighter jet pilots during a combat exercise in the South China Sea to enhance its all-domain combat capabilities.
Type 003
The third aircraft carrier, Fujian (Type 003), embarked on sea trials for the fourth time on September 3, aiming to enhance its combat capabilities. Fujian, with its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), is China’s largest carrier to date.
China’s naval modernization efforts, including the construction of a fourth aircraft carrier similar to Fujian, indicate its focus on deterring US intervention in regional conflicts.
Overall, China’s aircraft carrier program demonstrates its commitment to enhancing its naval capabilities and protecting its interests in the region.
