In its first deployment following modernization work, the Liaoning Aircraft Carrier Strike Group of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been detected in recent days in waters of the Pacific, near the Philippines, by Japanese authorities. The Liaoning (CV-16), the first modified and restructured aircraft carrier of the PLA Navy, originally a Soviet-era Kuznetsov-class carrier, set sail in early September and is currently navigating the Western Pacific after leaving the shipyard, where significant maintenance and upgrades were carried out earlier this year.
It is noteworthy that this new deployment of the aircraft carrier has generated considerable attention. Over the past few weeks, local media and the state broadcaster CCTV have reported that the Chinese Navy is testing a new type of fighter aboard the Liaoning, which has conducted takeoff tests.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense recorded the presence of the Liaoning and its embarked group in the South China Sea, in the Western Pacific, between September 17 and 18, 2024. During this period, approximately 130 takeoffs and landings of aircraft were logged, as well as 90 helicopter operations from September 27 to October 1.
In total, between September 20 and October 1, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) observed and recorded 630 combined operations of combat aircraft and helicopters from the Liaoning, deploying its own warships to track the Chinese flotilla.
A movement map showed the Chinese flotilla moving southwest in waters east of the Philippines, approaching the Celebes Sea, off the coast of Mindanao, between October 1 and 2.
It is relevant to mention that, in September, the Global Times reported on the testing of a “new type” of fighter. Speculation suggests that it could be the J-31/J-35 twin-engine carrier-based fighter, which was tested aboard the Liaoning earlier this year. It is unclear whether the test included an actual flight from the short takeoff but arrested recovery (STOBAR) ramp or if it involved a simulated model. However, an image published by Global Times showed what appeared to be full-scale models of a J-35 and a J-15 covered on the carrier’s deck while in the port of Dalian.
Although there have been no official statements regarding the objectives of this operation, analysts suggest that, beyond training for crews and pilots, these activities aim to send a message to Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, demonstrating the PLA Navy’s capability to conduct operations with embarked fighters, along with other naval units.
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