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Liaoning aircraft carrier

Liaoning aircraft carrier
China's first aircraft carrier went into commission on September 26, 2012 and was named "Liaoning" after the northeastern province. The 300-metre ship, refurbished and upgraded from the unfinished Soviet carrier Varyag, which China bought from Ukraine in 1998, is believed to be years away from active service.
A file photo of a fighter jet taking off from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier in a previous exercise. Photo: Japan Ministry of Defence
China’s military drills

Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

No sign of J-35 stealth fighter but the PLA Navy’s newest and most advanced frigate makes its carrier force debut.

China’s military drills

Breaking the chain? Why Hainan holds the key to survival for China’s carriers

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China's military weapons

Is China building the world’s largest naval support ship?

China's military weapons

Could all of China’s aircraft carriers soon operate J-35 stealth fighters?

Only one vessel can now host the cutting-edge jet, but satellite images and state media hints indicate that might be changing.

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Analysts say it is highly likely that China’s older two carriers will receive the upgrades needed to host the J-35 stealth fighters. Photo: Xinhua
China’s military drills

Chinese carrier kicks off drills in western Pacific amid tense Japan ties

The Liaoning carrier group will hold live-fire drills months after stand-off with Japanese fighter jets during a December exercise.

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China’s military drills

China stages navy drill as US and Philippines embark on Balikatan 2026

The Liaoning aircraft carrier appears to be among 14 large naval vessels snapped on manoeuvres in a satellite image circulating online.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

China not only forced a trade war backdown, it displayed its hi-tech military might from the waters off Australia to the skies near Japan.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Mainland China

Video | China reveals radio comms with Japan over aerial encounter

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said radar activation is ‘standard practice’ for flight safety.

China-Japan relations

China ‘did tell Japan about air drills but not in enough detail to avoid danger’

Both sides have been trading barbs following a stand-off between fighters during Saturday’s training exercise involving the Liaoning carrier.

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China's military weapons

Why is China piling on the pressure on Japan with increasing naval operations?

Japanese analysis indicates Chinese fighters locked onto jets from a distance of about 52km during first encounter and 148km during second.

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The aircraft carrier Liaoning appears to be heading in the opposite direction to the route traditionally taken by Chinese warships. Photo: AP
China’s military drills

Japan keeps tabs on 4 Chinese navy ships near Okinawa after weekend stand-off

China’s ‘capabilities in long-range, unmanned combat operations mean we can neutralise any threat with precision’, commentator tells CCTV.

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Japan’s Self-Defence Forces says China’s Liaoning carrier, pictured in 2021, and three guided missile destroyers are continuing drills in waters near Japan. Photo: Handout via Reuters
China-Japan relations

Tokyo accuses Chinese fighters of locking on Japanese jets northeast of Taiwan

Japan says J-15 fighters used fire-control radar in ‘dangerous act’, while China accuses Japanese planes of disturbing navy drills.

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China’s military drills

China’s aircraft carriers put to ‘train-as-you-fight’ test beyond island chains

PLA Daily sheds new light on navy’s drills to increase launch frequency and far-sea combat readiness.

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South China Sea

Opinion | How does China’s modernising navy stack up against the US seventh fleet?

Between what the US can sustain in the region vs what China can concentrate near its shores, the calculation increasingly favours Beijing.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's military weapons

China’s Fujian carrier on track for rapid combat readiness. Will there be more?

China has the potential to produce more aircraft carriers, including nuclear-powered ones, according to state media.

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China’s Fujian aircraft carrier is commissioned at a naval port in Sanya in south China’s Hainan province on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
China’s aircraft carriers

China’s third aircraft carrier enters service

The Fujian, China’s first self-developed aircraft carrier, entered service on Wednesday after about 18 months of sea trials. The vessel launches planes with electromagnetic catapults, a technology previously only used by the US.

China’s aircraft carriers

PLA’s aircraft carrier goals

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is expected to be commissioned this year as the country seeks to build up its naval power and narrow the gap with the US carrier fleet.

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China’s military drills

How are Chinese carriers pushing limits and testing boundaries in the Pacific?

Training Liaoning and Shandong carriers against each other offers experience that even US military cannot gain in battle: analyst.

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Chinese state media has shown the Shandong and Liaoning aircraft carriers engaging in drills featuring reconnaissance and early warning, defensive and counterstrike operations as well as assaults and tactical flights. Photo: Xinhua
China-Philippines relations

Chinese aircraft carriers’ Pacific presence sparks warnings for Philippines

However, a ‘delicate balance’ should still be maintained to avoid any escalation, analysts warn.

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China’s military drills

What does China’s PLA gain from operating 2 carriers in second island chain?

PLA is coordinating carriers in the blue-water arena, a tactic it would likely use to deter US forces in a Taiwan conflict, analysts say.

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Aukus alliance

Trump puts submarine pact in rough waters as China touts strength

The Trump administration is reviewing the Aukus submarine accord with the UK and Australia, while Chinese aircraft carriers are charting new courses.

Photo: US Navy
China's military weapons

China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers sail beyond second island chain

The two carrier groups have been spotted in the western Pacific Ocean, with the Liaoning’s passage taking it past Guam.

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The Shandong was one of the two Chinese carriers involved in the exercise. Photo: Thepaper
Indonesia

Indonesia’s budget battles sink its aircraft-carrier dreams

Financial constraints and strategic concerns look set to overshadow the Indonesian navy’s ambitions of owning a dual-use carrier.

China's military weapons

China trains ‘special mission’ pilots for Fujian aircraft carrier: CCTV

Electromagnetic catapult system allows for heavier and more advanced aircraft, such as KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft.

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China’s navy

Updated Chinese J-15 fighter jet spotted in aircraft carrier drill footage

Military analyst says J-15Bs seen airborne in official images, suggesting planes have entered service.

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At least nine of the aircraft in the exercise are believed to be J-15Bs. Photo: CCTV
China’s navy

Chinese navy holds first dual aircraft carrier drills in South China Sea

State television report shows Liaoning and Shandong sailing side by side in exercises aimed at improving ‘systematic combat capability’.

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The Shandong and Liaoning sail side by side during the exercises in the South China Sea. Photo: Xinhua
Taiwan

Beijing could elaborate law for ‘non-peaceful’ Taiwan reunification

Cautionary remarks by former US envoy, Taipei lawmaker come after PLA unleashes blockade drills over speech by island’s ‘separatist’ leader.

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China’s military

China has reportedly tested a next-generation carrier-based fighter jet

A documentary on state media refers to take-offs by the new jet from the deck of the Liaoning, but offers no further information or images of the aircraft.

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