2023-07-31 06:20:00
The picture shows the aircraft carrier Shandong docked at a port in Sanya. The first Chinese-made aircraft carrier, Shandong, was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, on the followingnoon of December 17, 2019, making China the one of the few countries in the world with several ships of this type. Photo: Chinese Army
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s aircraft carrier Shandong recently conducted a series of exercises in which it made new breakthroughs, and Chinese experts said on Sunday that the carrier may soon embark on its second far-off sea voyage. of the “first island chain”.
In a move to fully examine its comprehensive combat capabilities, Shandong conducted combat-oriented training in an undisclosed maritime region in mid-summer, the PLA Navy said in a press release on Friday.
During the drills, Shandong explored its potential under strict combat-oriented requirements and made progress in terms of aircraft sorties, training difficulty and mission intensity, according to the press release.
A video accompanying the press release shows that at least six additional warships, including a Type 055 large destroyer, two Type 052D destroyers, two Type 054A frigates and a Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship, accompanied Shandong in the group of aircraft carrier combat.
The Shandong carried various aircraft on its flight deck, including J-15 fighter jets, Z-8 helicopters, and Z-18 helicopters. Three echelons consisting of three J-15s each flew over the carrier as part of the exercises.
J-15 fighter jets also conducted night takeoff and landing exercises aboard the Shandong.
In April, the carrier conducted its first offshore exercise in the western Pacific since its commissioning in December 2019. During the exercise, the carrier participated in combat alert patrols and “joint sword” exercises in offshore waters. east of the island of Taiwan from April 7 to 12, and reached waters regarding 600 to 700 kilometers west of Guam on April 15 and 16, before returning through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea, according to reports. publicly available.
According to press releases from the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Japanese Ministry of Defense at the time, the Shandong recorded around 620 aircraft sorties during the 18-day exercise, surpassing the previous record set by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, which was regarding 320 sorties. of planes in 15 days.
As the PLA Navy said the latest Shandong exercises made new breakthroughs, this record might have been broken once more, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
Shandong’s combat capabilities will continue to improve with each exercise, the aforementioned expert said.
China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, has conducted an average of two offshore exercises a year in the western Pacific in recent years. And now, as the second Shandong aircraft carrier has reached full operational capacity, it too may make two or even more voyages beyond the “first island chain” this year, the expert said.
(Web editor: Rosa Liu, Zhao Jian)
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