China Is Flexing Its Aircraft Carrier 'Muscles' All over Asia

[Beijingwalker]

China Is Flexing Its Aircraft Carrier 'Muscles' All over Asia​

September 24, 2024

China’s naval power is expanding as all three of its aircraft carriers are now active in military exercises. The Type 001 Liaoning recently sailed near Japan’s home islands, marking its first appearance in the area.

September 24, 2024

Summary and Key Points: China’s naval power is expanding as all three of its aircraft carriers are now active in military exercises. The Type 001 Liaoning recently sailed near Japan’s home islands, marking its first appearance in the area.

-The Type 002 Shandong conducted certification tests in the South China Sea, while the Type 003 Fujian is undergoing sea trials, expected to enter service by 2026.

-With plans for six carriers by 2035, China’s People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is increasing its reach and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. This marks a growing strategic challenge for regional powers and the U.S. Navy.

China is Flexing its Carrier Muscles Further and Further into the Indo-Pacific​

This Wednesday will mark the 12th anniversary of the official commissioning of the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) Type 001 Liaoning aircraft carrier. Originally laid down for the Soviet Navy, the unfinished warship was sold by Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union to be converted into a floating hotel and casino before it was refurbished, becoming the first Chinese aircraft carrier.

In the dozen years since, Beijing has built two additional carriers – while it has expanded its naval capabilities, flexing its proverbial muscles further into the Indo-Pacific.

On Monday, Chinese state media outlet the Global Times reported that all three of the PLAN's aircraft carriers have been carrying out military exercises or have been involved in tests.

"China's aircraft carrier program has entered the fast lane," the outlet reported citing military observers including Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, who suggested the recent deployments had a "goal of enhancing combat capabilities.

Chinese Carrier in Japanese Waters​

The Type 001 Liaoning – which was commissioned on September 25, 2012 – took part in an exercise that brought the 54,500-ton warship near the Japan home islands for the first time. The flattop was accompanied by a strike group that consisted of two destroyers. The Chinese naval flotilla transited the waters near the disputed but Japanese-controlled islets named the Senkakus by Tokyo and Diaoyus by Beijing.

The PLAN warships entered Japan's "contiguous zone," an area beyond its territorial waters but still well within the distance from land where Toyko controls the maritime traffic.

"China has increasingly expanded and intensified military activities around Japan in recent years," Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Moriya told the Associated Press. "We will continue to closely watch Chinese warships' activity around Japan and the regional waters while ensuring information gathering and vigilance."

China's Carrier Reach​

While the Type 001 Liaoning was operating near the Japanese home islands, the Type 002 Shandong, the PLAN's first domestically-built carrier, took part in a certification test for nighttime operation with a new batch of People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF) pilots in the South China Sea.

According to the Global Times, the training will enhance the PLAN's aviation force's "round-the-clock, all-domain combat capabilities, as more fighter pilots are qualified to operate" from the three aircraft carriers.

The PLAN's third carrier, the Type 003 Fujian has been conducting its latest round of sea trials, and it is on track to enter service by early 2026 – but progress has been steady and there has been speculation it could be even sooner. Beijing has called for the PLAN to operate six carriers by 2035, closing the gap with the U.S. Navy.

As Capable as the U.S. Navy?​

Although not nuclear-powered like the U.S. Navy's Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford classes of supercarriers, the PLAN could soon match America's capabilities.

"As a general pattern, aircraft carriers spend one-third of their time under maintenance, one-third of their time in training, and one-third of their time in deployment, so having three or more carriers would mean always having at least one carrier group ready for a mission," another Chinese military expert told the Global Times, adding that Beijing remains committed to building more advanced flattops with greater capabilities, but also in training more pilots.

That will allow greater reach for the PLAN – and all three efforts were on full display this month. More pilots are being trained from the Type 002 Shandong, the capabilities of the Type 003 Fujian are being tested, and the Type 001 Liaoning is sailing where no Chinese carrier has sailed before!

 

[Beijingwalker]

Historic! China’s All 3 Aircraft Carriers “Roar” In Indo-Pacific At Same Time Amid Tensions With US-Backed Philippines – Reports​

-September 24, 2024

China’s naval might was on full display this month when, in a historic first, all three of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) aircraft carriers were at sea simultaneously.

This was pointed out by journalist and Indo-Pacific watcher Ian Ellis Jones, who collated and published data on the positions of the three carriers—Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian—earlier this month.

Satellite imagery revealed that the three carriers were at sea on September 18. The move to place all three carriers at sea at the same time is the first instance since the PLAN was established about 97 years ago.

Of the three carriers, Liaoning and Shandong are already operational and expanding their reach to the Western Pacific, while the newest carrier, Fujian, is currently undergoing testing. The Fujian aircraft carrier has reportedly completed four sets of sea trials.

A week ago, the Shandong carrier strike group was operating off the coast of Hainan Island, while the Liaoning strike group was in the Philippine Sea. The Fujian had sailed for its latest sea trials from the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai. As of September 22, Fujian has returned to port after successful sea trials.

Once Fujian enters service, most likely in 2025, China is expected to possess the second largest fleet of aircraft carriers after the United States, with 11 operational flattops.

China’s third and most advanced “super-carrier,” Fujian, has an electromagnetic catapult system, making it the second navy after the US to have this technology.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1838020324643738017

Chinese carriers have had quite a few busy weeks. According to Ellis’s data, the Shandong carrier was deployed to the Western Pacific in July and August. The Liaoning aircraft carrier entered the region on September 17-18, sailing between Japan’s westernmost island of Yonaguni and nearby Iriomote, entering the country’s “contiguous zone.”

Notably, the carrier group sailed within just 100 miles of Taiwan. The incident triggered a row between Japan and China, the two Asian giants.

The recent simultaneous deployment, albeit short-lived, represents a significant achievement for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, which has been consistently striving to assert its naval influence in the Indo-Pacific region. China has previously deployed two operational aircraft carriers simultaneously. However, such deployments have lately become routine.

Moreover, the simultaneous deployments offer a compelling picture of the PLAN’s growing capabilities and influence, particularly concerning its aircraft carrier fleet. This is noteworthy in light of the escalating tensions in the region and the concurrent enhancement of China’s shipbuilding and naval capabilities.

The PLAN is expected to have six carriers on active duty by 2035.

Additionally, there are speculations that the fourth Type 004 carrier, supposedly under construction, will feature nuclear propulsion. That advancement would transform the nation’s navy to a genuine blue-water navy, enabling Beijing to access distant oceans.

Military experts suggest that the frequent deployments of Chinese carriers are intended to strengthen China’s influence in a region characterized by multiple territorial conflicts with neighboring countries. A prominent illustration of this is the South China Sea, where tensions have recently escalated between China and the Philippines, a US ally.

Interestingly, there is an indication that the Liaoning aircraft carrier and the US Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt were operating in or around the Philippines Sea recently as the US carrier left port in the Middle East and entered the region for its scheduled deployment.

Chinese & US Carriers Operating Close To The Philippines​

On September 23, Ellis published another infographic suggesting that the Liaoning and the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike groups were “converging & operating in a similar area east of the Philippines.” The data was based on satellite imagery sourced from OSINT researcher @MT_Anderson on X.

After eight months of deployment, the USS Theodore Roosevelt left the Middle East on September 12.

“Following a period of dual carrier coverage by the Theodore Roosevelt, CSG, and the Abraham Lincoln, CSG in the CENTCOM region, Theodore Roosevelt has departed and begun its transit into the Indo-Pacific command area of operations,” Maj Gen. Pat Ryder said.

The deployment of USS Theodore Roosevelt to the region came following discussions about the US Navy’s carrier shortage, particularly highlighted by the absence of a US carrier in the Indo-Pacific at the end of last month. The Seventh Fleet of the US Navy was left without a carrier when the USS Abraham Lincoln was reassigned to the Fifth Fleet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1838367598364209500

About a month ago, military observers lamented the absence of a carrier as it coincided with rising tensions between China and the Philippines and enhanced military activity by the Chinese forces in the Taiwan Strait. The United States relies heavily on aircraft carriers to project power and implement its foreign policy, considering them a crucial component of its national security strategy.

However, the close operation of US and Chinese carriers near the Philippines is also highly symbolic, as it happened in the wake of China’s sustained hostility against Manila.

China claims the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory, making the region a major flashpoint. In recent times, there have been numerous conflicts between China and the Philippines, with the Chinese Coast Guard ships ramming, obstructing, and firing water cannons at Philippine vessels.

China’s deployment of an aircraft carrier near the Philippines has been perceived as a warning to the country and its allies in the region.

The PLAN sees its expanding carrier fleet as a tool for projecting power beyond China’s shores. This includes the crucial First Island Chain, which is made up of archipelagos that border mainland East Asia and stretch from the southernmost point of the Japanese islands to the South China Sea, and the Second Island Chain, which stretches farther into the Western Pacific and includes Guam and other U.S. island territories in the Marianas.

China’s aircraft carriers are fueling those ambitions, and analysts believe that we can expect more simultaneous carrier deployments by the PLAN in the future.

Historic! China's All 3 Aircraft Carriers "Roar" In Indo-Pacific At Same Time Amid Tensions With US-Backed Philippines - Reports

China’s naval might was on full display this month when, in a historic first, all three of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) aircraft carriers were at sea simultaneously. This was pointed out by journalist and Indo-Pacific watcher Ian Ellis Jones, who collated and published data on the...

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