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2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Two Chinese Aircraft Carriers Are Operating Beyond The First Island Chain For The First Time
The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has released photos showing two of its aircraft carriers operating simultaneously for the first time beyond the so-called First Island Chain in the western Pacific. The latest development showcases China's growing carrier power as well as its ambition to challenge U.S. strategies of maritime containment in the Indo-Pacific region. Photos of the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, as well as their J-15 Flanker fighters, were posted on the social media platform X by the official PLAN account. They were accompanied by a statement attributed to PLAN spokesperson Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, who confirmed that the two carriers and their task groups had been 'training in the waters of the western Pacific to test their capabilities in far-seas protection and joint operations.' The Chinese PLA Navy spokesperson Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng stated that recently the PLANS Liaoning and Shandong task groups conducted training in the waters of the Western Pacific to test their capabilities in far seas protection and joint operations. The routine training is… — ChinaNavy (@China_Navy) June 10, 2025 The statement continued: 'The routine training is organized in accordance with the annual plan, aiming at continuously enhancing the PLA Navy's capabilities of fulfilling the missions. It is in compliance with relevant international laws and practices and is not directed against any specific country or target.' It should be noted that, although they are not thought to have been previously published, the photos in question could have originated on a different occasion and may not necessarily have been taken in the western Pacific. Interestingly, the fighters seen arranged on the deck of the Liaoning in one of the photos reveal that all are the more modern J-15T versions. The J-15T is primarily distinguished from the original J-15 in being equipped for catapult takeoff but assisted recovery (CATOBAR) operations, rather than short takeoff but assisted recovery (STOBAR) operations. Neither the Liaoning nor the Shandong have CATOBAR equipment, but this will feature on the PLAN's forthcoming carriers. Otherwise, the J-15T is fitted with domestically produced WS-10 turbofans in place of the Russian-made AL-31F engines previously found on production J-15s. It has more modern avionics, likely including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and is compatible with new weapons. However, the examples seen on the Liaoning are armed with the older PL-12 medium-range air-to-air missiles, rather than the more advanced PL-15 that they are also able to carry. Regardless, it's notable that the PLAN is reporting the dual-carrier operations in these highly strategic waters so publicly. The First Island Chain is a boundary defined by archipelagos opposite mainland East Asia, extending from the southern end of the Japanese home islands all the way to the South China Sea. Extending further out into the western Pacific is the Second Island Chain, which links Japan to New Guinea and includes Guam and other U.S. island territories in the Marianas. 'Chinese naval vessels' activities in those waters are fully consistent with international law and international practices,' Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference today, in reference to carrier operations beyond the First Island Chain. 'Our national defense policy is defensive in nature.' Confirmation that the Liaoning was sailing in waters beyond the First Island Chain emerged on Saturday, when its presence there was reported by the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The Liaoning has been underway since at least late May. It had been operating in the East China Sea before passing through the Miyako Strait and toward the Philippine Sea. The same day, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said that the Shandong, together with four other PLAN vessels, was being tracked in the Philippine Sea, around 340 miles southeast of Miyako Island, southwest of Japan. To get there, the Shandong and its task group likely passed through the Luzon Strait, between Taiwan and the Philippines. ６／７、中国海軍クズネツォフ級空母「山東」を含む複数隻の中国海軍艦艇が、太平洋の海域において航行していることを確認しました。また６／９、艦載戦闘機等の発着艦を確認しました。#防衛省・自衛隊 は、引き続き #警戒監視・情報収集 を実施します。 — 防衛省統合幕僚監部 (@jointstaffpa) June 9, 2025 Included in the task group with Shandong were the Type 055 'super-destroyer' Zunyi, the two Type 054A frigates Yuncheng and Hengshui, as well as a Type 905 replenishment oiler, according to photos and pennant numbers published by the Japanese Ministry of Defense. As of today, the Japanese Ministry of Defense reported the Shandong task group moving northeast, reaching a point north of the island of Okinotorishima, Japan's southernmost territory. In the process, the Shandong has been conducting flight operations, including flying J-15s and helicopters within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the island. The EEZ extends to a distance of 230 miles around Okinotorishima. Naval operations within another country's EEZ are permitted under international law, as part of freedom of navigation and overflight. Similarly, the PLAN is entirely within its right to operate in and around and beyond the various island chains. However, the significance of carrier operations here, especially involving two task groups, is something that Beijing will be keenly aware of. After all, the island chains were created by the United States as tools of foreign policy, serving above all as strategic lines of defense to keep China's naval forces in check. By projecting its expanding naval power beyond these lines, Beijing demonstrates how it could, in a conflict scenario, contest the ability of the U.S. military and its allies to access these critical areas and the broader Pacific. Meanwhile, the PLAN's fast-growing carrier force is a very visible and increasingly important tool as China, more generally, extends its reach further out into international waters, including beyond the Pacific. While the Chinese Foreign Ministry may stress the 'defensive' nature of the PLAN vessels' activities, in wartime, they would very much be on the offensive, with carrier power at the forefront, to challenge for control of vast areas of the Pacific. With that in mind, the PLAN's current dual-carrier deployment in the western Pacific is in keeping with ambitions to build a credible blue-water navy that is large and capable enough to challenge even the U.S. Navy. Before too long, PLAN carrier task groups are also likely to be prowling around Guam, and venturing farther east, toward Wake, Midway, and eventually Hawaii. This is also in line with PLAN operations increasingly outside of its traditional areas of activity, including a growing focus on deployments around Alaska and in the High North. It should be noted that the Liaoning and Shandong already conducted a joint operation last October, but didn't on that occasion venture beyond the South China Sea. Even so, dual-carrier operations in these tense waters also constitute a powerful symbol of Beijing's military and territorial ambitions. With China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, now conducting pre-commissioning trials, it's only a matter of time before three PLAN flattops are able to conduct joint operations out into the western Pacific — and beyond. A useful comparison of the Chinese aircraft carriers (CV-16), (CV-17), and (CV-18): CV-16 vs CV-17 vs CV-18 — 彩云香江 (@louischeung_hk) June 16, 2022 With such a lot of hardware under construction, the PLAN will have the ability to project that much more capacity in the future. The growing size of the PLAN blue-water fleet means that Chinese naval power becomes an even harder problem to deal with, with the potential for Chinese warships, including carriers, to be in a lot of places at once. Clearly, China's carrier power is still far more limited than that of the United States, but with at least another carrier under construction, together with big-deck amphibious assault ships, Beijing's efforts to counter the U.S. Navy and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region show no sign of slowing. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
Structure At Chinese Shipyard May Point To China's Next Aircraft Carrier's Capabilities
We may have just gotten our first sight of China's next-generation aircraft carrier, generally referred to as the Type 004 — or at least a portion of it. Construction work at a shipyard in Dalian, in China's Liaoning province, reveals a module that is consistent with an aircraft carrier — which would be China's fourth, once it enters service — although there remain questions about the precise nature of the object, which may be intended for testing, rather than as part of the finished warship. The module in question, apparently a section of the flight deck, is seen in satellite imagery provided by Google Earth and which first began to circulate on Chinese defense forums. The imagery dates back to May 2024 but was only recently published. Close to the module are mockups of a J-15 Flanker series carrier-based fighter and a Z-8 series naval helicopter. Mockups of this kind are frequently used in carrier development work in China, both on land and at sea. Well, you all know how sceptical I am usually, but this could actually be proof for the first time that 004 is under construction! — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) February 13, 2025 Provided that what appear as lines running along the module are trenches for catapult tracks, which seems the most likely explanation, this would suggest that the Type 004 will have two waist catapults, in addition to the two bow catapults. This would match the arrangement of the U.S. Navy's Ford class and would add an extra catapult compared with China's third carrier, the Type 003 Fujian, which has a single catapult in the waist position. This could be our very first look at Type 004 Chinese Nuclear Carrier modules at Dalian, even J-15 mockup is thereAnother 003 carrier is almost certain at JiangnanLet Dalian cook #ProjectLongwei — Húrin (@Hurin92) February 13, 2025 The module is located within the sprawling Dalian complex, the specific location being Xianglujiao, which is where the drydock for China's earlier Type 001 Liaoning and Type 002 Shandong aircraft carriers is also located. TWZ spoke to Alex Luck, a journalist who closely follows the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), for his assessment of the module. Noting that it's probably too early to make any concrete assessment about the role of this particular module, Luck says that the Dalian location makes sense for a new carrier, with the adjacent dock already used for carrier construction and maintenance. On the other hand, as Luck points out, the first modules spotted for the Fujian, back in 2018, were lower hull segments, rather than a flight deck module, which seems to be what we are looking at here. Since lower hull segments make more sense in terms of procedural assembly, it could be the case that this is not a production module but instead a test or demonstrator segment for the future flattop. There is a precedent for this, with a demonstrator module for the future Fujian noted at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, back in 2013. With that in mind, a similar approach for the Type 004, involving test portions of the new carrier, to iron out any early problems with the design, wouldn't be entirely surprising. As for the presence of the aircraft mockups next to the new module, Luck observes that these are likely not necessarily directly related to the new carrier, with the same ones probably having been used for the Liaoning and the Shandong beforehand. Previous rumors had suggested that the Type 004 might be built at a different location, namely Dalian Dagushan, located across the bay from Xianglujiao, so that too raises some questions about the purpose of the module. Dalian Dagushan is where the most recent Type 055 'super-destroyers' and Type 052DL destroyers are being built but, again, we don't know for sure that the Type 004 will also be built here. Previously, there had also been speculation that the Type 004 might be constructed at Jiangnan, which produced the Fujian, and this shipyard also offered some concept art depicting a new aircraft carrier design. The carrier shown in that artwork had some broad external similarities to the U.S. Navy's Ford class and France's future New Generation Aircraft Carrier, although, at this stage, we really can't say what the Type 004 will look like. Whatever the role of the new module, there's certainly a strong possibility that it's related to China's next carrier, with previous suggestions that the Type 004 could enter service sometime in the late 2020s. When it does finally appear, the Type 004 is expected to be a notably more advanced design than Liaoning and Shandong, which are by now well established with the PLAN fleet, as well as the Fujian, the country's first domestically produced carrier, which is still preparing for operational service. Launched in 2022, the Fujian began sea trials in mid-2024 and is expected to enter operational service in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Like Fujian — and in contrast to the two previous carriers — the Type 004 will be equipped to launch aircraft via catapults. The PLAN's two in-service carriers, the Shandong and the Lioaning, are both short takeoff but arrested recovery, or STOBAR, types with prominent 'ski jump' takeoff ramps. Catapults offer manifold advantages, especially when it comes to launching aircraft at higher gross weights, which translates to larger fuel and ordnance loads. They can also generally accommodate a wider array of aircraft types, too. This includes larger and slower designs, like the still-in-development KJ-600 carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft, as well as smaller ones, such as drones. Presumably, the Type 004 will have an advanced electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), provided it proves to be successful on the Fujian. Otherwise, this type of equipment is currently only in use with the U.S. Navy. Aside from the KJ-600, the air wing for the new carrier will likely include the J-35 stealth fighter, supported by advanced versions of the J-15 multirole fighter. The carrier is also likely to host various drones, such as navalized versions of the GJ-11 Sharp Sword uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), plus helicopters. There have long been reports that the Type 004 will be a nuclear-powered vessel, which would give it effectively unlimited range and help meet the power-generation demands of ever-improving sensors, other mission systems, and possibly directed-energy weapons. At this stage, that remains unconfirmed but would certainly be in line with the PLAN's expanding carrier ambitions. As well as its aircraft carriers, China is meanwhile also working to introduce a number of very large big-deck amphibious assault ships, referred to as the Type 076. Each will feature at least one electromagnetic catapult that is expected to be primarily used to launch drones, as you can read more about here. In its latest assessment of Chinese military power, the Pentagon doesn't explicitly mention the Type 004, but does state that the PLAN is 'in the beginning stages of operating its multi-carrier force.' It also notes that the Fujian is just the first warship within a 'nextgeneration of carriers' that will be characterized by 'greater endurance and an electromagnetic catapult launch system, making them capable of launching various types of specialized fixed-wing aircraft for missions, such as airborne early warning and electronic warfare. This will increase the striking power of a potential PLAN carrier battle group when deployed to areas beyond the PRC's immediate periphery.' While the PLAN's carrier force is still clearly outmatched by the U.S. Navy's fleet of 11 active nuclear-powered supercarriers, China is already benefiting from having multiple carriers to draw on, and this advantage is set to become more pronounced in the years to come. As the Chinese military buildup continues, the Type 004 future aircraft carrier is clearly a program to watch. Contact the author: thomas@
