Chinese PLA Navy sorties test combat readiness 100 times over in message to West over Taiwan
- The Liaoning aircraft carrier conducted ‘more than 100 landings and take-offs’ in six days, according to Japan’s defence ministry
- China ‘working hard’ to achieve military capability to take over Taiwan, but would prefer not to use force, US spy chief says
This marks the first time the Chinese aircraft carrier’s sortie capabilities have been reported.
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Chinese PLA Navy crew on the aircraft carrier Liaoning conduct training exercises
While the Liaoning – a refurbished Soviet Kuznetsov-class carrier – can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, it is unclear how many J-15 and other helicopters were on board this time, or how many were involved in the take-off and landing training each day. However, the total number of sorties it flew appeared to be “good enough”, military experts said.
“The higher the sortie rate, the more efficient the carrier’s aircraft operation,” said Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military observer. “More than 100 sorties in six days suggests the operational capability is pretty mature and ready.”
In comparison, the Russian navy’s Admiral Kuznetsov, the Liaoning’s sister ship, flew about 420 sorties in 60 days with 20 fighters on board during its mission in Syria in 2016, while the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz-class carrier, once set a maximum record of 975 fixed-wing sorties in 98 hours during military exercises.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has said the latest drills of the Liaoning strike group were “routine training” following the navy’s annual work plan to improve its capability, and not targeted at any party. But the timing and sensitive location of the exercises have caused concern and prompted foreign navy deployments.
