According to statements made by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the Chinese People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) currently operates their two operational aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, in the Western Pacific. This deployment is the first time that both PLAN aircraft carriers are simultaneously operational in the same regional area.
The Chinese carrier task group centered around the aircraft carrier Liaoning was the first to be reported in the Philippine Sea, having entered the region via the Miyako Strait on May 25th. The carrier task group is reportedly composed of at least the aircraft carrier Liaoning, the Type 055 / Renhai class cruiser Nanchang, the Type 052D destroyer Qiqihar and a replenishment vessel.
The carrier task group then proceeded south, covering the eastern side of the Philippines before heading northeast towards Marcus Island on May 30th. By June 8th, the Liaoning carrier task group had already backtracked on a western course, closing the distance with a second Chinese carrier task group. During this day, the Liaoning reportedly was engaged in flight operations with carrier aircraft taking of and landing on the carrier.
The second carrier task group centered around the aircraft carrier Shandong entered the area via the Bashi Strait which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. This carrier task group is composed of the aircraft carrier Shandong, the Type 055 / Renhai class cruiser Zunyi, the Type 052D class destroyer Zhanjiang, the Type 054 A class frigates Yuncheng and Hengshui. Logistic support is provided by the Type 903A class replenishment vessel Chaganhu. By June 9th, this carrier task group was reported south of Japan during which it was engaged in flight operations involving carrier based aircraft and helicopters.
According to PLA Navy spokesperson Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, both carriers and their task groups are in the process of testing their capabilities in far seas protection and joint operations. Both carriers are reported on a routine training in accordance with the annual training plan.
Dual carrier operations create possibilities for PLAN
The close proximity of both aircraft carriers on June 9th, with both being reported or estimated southwest of the Bonin Islands, presents an unique opportunity to the PLAN to test their carrier doctrines and organizations. By having both carriers operational at the same time and near to each other, the PLAN would be able, in theory, to start a series of carrier versus carrier training exercises with each carrier task group being tasked to launch strikes against the other one.
Such a series of training exercises would allow the PLAN to validate and adapt their carrier doctrines and deliver valuable realistic information and experience in both offensive as defensive carrier combat operations. By having both carrier task groups in close proximity, yet operating independently, the PLAN now has the opportunity to not only launch naval airstrikes but also realistically assess their effectiveness to a certain degree.
The first phase in which the current set up would provided added value is the fact that the PLAN now can have its aircraft carriers set up airstrikes against an opponent that is also actively trying to set up and airstrike and is aware of the other ones presence. Unlike a training exercise involving only one aircraft carrier, having two aircraft carrier going against each other means that each side will try to detect the other while prevent being detected themselves. This results in active maneuvering and complicates detection and tracking, especially with enemy air patrols trying to keep surveillance aircraft at bay.
Another added value of a carrier versus carrier training exercise lies in the fact that the defending carrier task group can make clear and realistic observations with regards to the incoming airstrike. The defending side is able to monitor how far out they can detect an incoming airstrike, set up a realistic air defense, coordinate with fighter aircraft to intercept an incoming airstrike and evaluate the effectiveness of the incoming airstrike. Based on the latter, a more accurate assessment can be made on how much damage an incoming airstrike would create on a defending Chinese carrier task group and what possibilities there are in setting up a retaliatory airstrike.
Limitations of Chinese carrier versus carrier exercises
Even if the PLAN engages in carrier versus carrier training exercises, there are still several limitations that these exercises will bring with them. The most important limiting factor is the fact that the PLAN is operating against itself and thus assess how well their carriers and escorting warships will perform when engaging against or defending against their own ships. When we take the PLAN main adversary in account, the US Navy, it becomes clear that the PLAN can learn only so much from fighting itself and that several lessons learned need to be reevaluated when dealing with the US Navy.
First off, the US aircraft carriers are larger in size and capable of launching larger airstrikes. These larger airstrikes not only include actual strike aircraft but also aircraft dedicated to protecting the airstrike against enemy fighters send out to intercept it. The type of aircraft are also different meaning that detection ranges based on radar cross sections are different and this not taken in account that US aircraft carriers also operate electronic warfare aircraft tasked with blinding enemy radars and thus prevent or at least delay detection of an incoming US carrier airstrike.
US aircraft carriers also operate with a task force that has more experience in setting up air defense meaning that the effectiveness of a Chinese carrier airstrike will be lower when facing an US carrier task force compared to a PLAN carrier task force. It is also possible that a US carrier task group can absorb more damage and still remain sufficiently combat effective compared to the smaller PLAN carrier task groups. This would also create another layer of reduced combat effectiveness for the PLAN as it would result in having to launch more airstrikes in order to actually leave a US carrier task group combat ineffective.
Even with these limitations in place, the unique opportunity presided to the PLAN of having both its aircraft carriers operational in the same area should be ignored or dismissed. If the PLAN engaged its two carrier task groups in a carrier versus carrier training scenario it will have no doubt learned several valuable lessons that can not be learned in exercises that only involve one aircraft carrier training against a hypothetical enemy. Having both carrier task groups facing off against each other provides a level of realism that can prove to be valuable in future conflicts if the lessons learned are studied in the correct manner.
The situation as it was on June 9th has in theory the potential to lay the groundworks of realistic carrier exercises reminiscent of the series of US Navy Fleet Problems in the 1920s and 1930s during which the US Navy learned valuable lessons on how to operate aircraft carriers and the effectiveness of their carrier airstrikes in more realistic scenarios.
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This article was curated by memoment.jp from the feed source: Naval News.
Original article: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/06/unique-chinese-aircraft-carrier-deployment-in-western-pacific/
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