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Liu Zhen

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its strike group are holding a live-fire exercise in the Pacific east of the Philippines, following one of its longest deployments in the South China Sea.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Kuznetsov-class carrier, along with at least four escorts, was spotted on Monday about 880km (547 miles) southwest of Okinotorishima, Japan’s southernmost point, according to a statement from the Japanese defence ministry.
On Tuesday, carrier-based fighter aircraft and other assets were observed conducting take-off and landing exercises from the Liaoning, the statement added.
The first island chain, which runs along East Asia’s coastline from the Kuril Islands through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines down to Borneo, marks the Chinese mainland’s near seas from the wider Pacific.
The Qingdao-based Liaoning entered the South China Sea on April 20 to monitor the Balikatan joint military exercise between the United States, the Philippines and other allies which began that day.




Commercial satellite photos showed that the Liaoning remained west of the Philippines for at least a few days after the exercise concluded on May 8.
The Liaoning’s deployment in the South China Sea was only slightly shorter than in 2018, when the carrier entered the sensitive waters on March 20 and left on April 20.
Its next move was officially confirmed on May 19, when the PLA Navy announced the carrier would be conducting training in the western Pacific. Which route it would take to cross the first island chain was not specified.
In a rare preview, the navy revealed on its official social media account that the drill beyond the first island chain would include “far-seas tactical flight, live firing, support and cover, and integrated search and rescue, so as to test and enhance the realistic combat training capabilities of the forces”.
Chinese state media had hinted that the J-35 stealth fighter could be adapted to the Liaoning’s ski-jump deck, despite being originally designed for catapult launches.
However, the Japanese statement did not specify the type of carrier-based aircraft observed during the training. The potential deployment of the advanced J-35 fighters to the Liaoning remains speculative.




Alongside the 65,000-tonne carrier were the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Wuxi, Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Kaifeng, Type 054B guided-missile frigate Luohe and Type 901 fast combat support ship Hulunhu, according to the release.
It is the first time a Type 054B, the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate, has taken part in a carrier task group since the class entered service last year.
Notably, the Luohe and the Hulunhu sailed past the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea into the Pacific on May 18 before joining the Liaoning, according to the Japanese defence ministry.
The Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, is also the only one in active combat deployment. The Shandong is in dry dock for a major upgrade while the newly commissioned Fujian is in operational training with other vessels in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.
Before its South China Sea voyage, the Liaoning transited through the Taiwan Strait on April 20, which was seen as a response to the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi’s passage through the Strait three days earlier.


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No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut


No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut.


China’s Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut

No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut