China deploys all of its aircraft carriers at sea for first time in history - The Telegraph
Illustrative photo: China for the first time in history deploys all of its aircraft carriers at sea (Getty Images)
For the first time in history, China’s military has deployed all its aircraft carriers to sea simultaneously. This provides insight into how the PRC might position its ships in the event of, say, an attack on Taiwan, The Telegraph reports.
According to the news agency, over the past weekend, all three Chinese aircraft carriers—the former Soviet Liaoning, its locally-produced sister ship Shandong, and the newest, largest, and most advanced Chinese-made carrier Fujian—were at sea.
It is known that Fujian is undergoing trials in the Yellow Sea. Shandong was in the South China Sea west of Taiwan with its escort, while Liaoning and its escort were in the Philippine Sea east of Taiwan. Interestingly, Fujian is not yet officially part of China's military fleet. However, once it joins, China will become the world’s second-largest aircraft carrier power, surpassing the dual-deck Royal Navy and the Indian Navy.
Nevertheless, China will still lag behind the US Navy. Moreover, China’s carriers are smaller than those of the US Liaoning and Shandong have a displacement of about 60,000 tons, while Fujian is around 70,000 tons. Their air component is smaller, and significantly, only Fujian is equipped with catapults—three of them—which can launch J-15 fighters and (in the future) J-35s at full weight.
As The Telegraph notes, the fact that China has deployed three aircraft carriers at once is ominous for Taiwan.
In June, it was reported that Taiwan, facing threats from China, planned to conduct military exercises close to actual combat conditions. One of the unique elements of these drills will be nighttime training, uncommon for the Taiwanese army.
