Liaoning Operations
Shi Lang's early years at sea will probably be devoted to training. China's first aircraft carrier, the "Liaoning," completed and accomplished its sea trials, and was officially delivered and commissioned to the Navy of the PLA by CSIC Dalian Shipyard on the morning of Sep. 25. Hu Jintao, CPC General Secretary, PRC President, Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) attended the handover ceremony and conducted an inspection of the Liaoning.
Wen Jiabao, member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Premier the State Council of the People’s Republic of China also attended the handover ceremony and read out the message of congratulation from the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission. Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, Politburo members of the CPC Central Committee and CMC vice chairmen; Ma Kai, member of the State Council doubling as its Secretary-General; Chang Wanquan, member of CMC and director of the PLA's General Armament Department; and Wu Shengli, member of CMC and Navy Commander, also attended the ceremony.
With the approval of CMC, China’s first aircraft carrier is named the “Liaoning” of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, with hull number 16. After the handover, the Liaoning will start up relevant scientific researches and military training. Leaders from relevant departments of the central government, four general departments of the PLA, Navy, Air Force, Shenyang Military Region, General Office of CMC and Liaoning Province, and representatives of organizations taking part in building China’s first aircraft carrier attended the ceremony.
On 25 November 2012 a Chinese Shenyang J-15 fighter jet successfully carried out the first arrested deck landing on the country’s only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. This achievement marked a crucial step in the development of China’s ambitious aircraft carrier program as landing tests of carrier-based aircraft are the most challenging to perform. “Capabilities of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all requirements and achieving good compatibility,” the Chinese Navy said. The J-15s had made many landings on land-based mock-ups of Liaoning’s deck and performed a number of touch-and-go take-offs and landings during sea trials last month before attempting an arrested landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier, according to Chinese naval experts. Since the Liaoning entered service in September 2012, its crew has completed more than 100 training and testing programs.
China's J-15 carrier-based fighter will not be able to compete with Russia's Su-33 fighter on global markets because it is inferior to the Russian aircraft, according to Russian military analysts. China since 2001 had been developing the J-15 naval fighter, which is believed to be a clone of Russia's Su-33 Falcon-D. China bought an Su-33 prototype earlier from Ukraine, and used it to develop the new aircraft. China was unlikely to solve technical problems related to the design of the folding wings and to develop a reliable engine for the aircraft, although the first J-15 prototype reportedly made its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, powered by Chinese WS-10 turbofan engines.
By early May 2013 escort ships for China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, were reported to be assembling at Qingdao Harbor and the carrier battle group is suspected to be sailing out soon, a Hong Kong-based Chinese-language newspaper said Saturday. Wen Wei Po said that the carrier battle group might comprise the Liaoning, four type 052C or 052D destroyers, two type 052B destroyers, two to four type 054A escort ships, one or two type 093 nuclear submarines and one supply ship. The reports also said the aircraft carrier could carry 22 J-15 fighter planes, four to six Z-8 early warning planes and around 12 Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters. Judging from the formation, the carrier group could form three lines of anti-air defenses, the first being formed by the Z-8s and J-15s and the second by the Hongqi-9 surface-to-air missiles aboard the 052C/D anti-air destroyers. The third anti-air line will be formed by the SA-N-12 mid- and close-range anti-aircraft missiles aboard the 052B destroyers and Hongqi-16 mid-and close-range anti-aircraft missiles aboard the four 054A escort ships. The formation could handle 24 attacking targets simultaneously.
A number of photos showing eight J-15 fighters parked on the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier have recently surfaced online. The presence of the fight jets indicated that the combat capability of the aircraft carrier is growing quickly, according to Yin Zhuo, a military expert, in an interview with CCTV. According to Yin, the Liaoning can carry over 20 aircraft. The number of fighter jets on its deck has increased from one or two in the initial stage to between four and eight by 2016, indicating that the carrier's capacity for dispatching aircraft was increasing. As a heavy fighter, the J-15 can launch strikes against land and sea targets. If the eight fighters take off simultaneously, they can strike multiple targets with precision-guided weapons.
One week after sailing through the Taiwan Strait, the Liaoning carrier strike group conducted drills off the coast of Hainan in the South China Sea in a substantial show of force, according to satellite imagery acquired by Planet Labs, Inc. 26 March 2018. The imagery confirmed that the carrier has been operating in the important trade waters along with more than 40 other warships and submarines. Asked about the massive drills on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters, "we're always monitoring these situations, but I don't have anything specific to announce at this point." Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told Yahoo News "Judging by the images, it does seem they are keen to show that the elements of the South Sea Fleet are able to routinely join up with the carrier strike group from Dalian in the north."
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