The Journey to the Distant Sea Witnesses the "Growth History" of China's Three Types of Aircraft Carriers

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The far-sea journey of China's aircraft carriers is a "growth history" that transitions from a testing and exploration platform to a combat-ready elite force. From the Liaoning's debut in the Western Pacific to the Shandong's first far-sea training, and looking ahead to the Fujian's future far-sea combat training in the Western Pacific, the three types of aircraft carriers will continue to set sail, witnessing the continuous iteration and upgrade of the People's Navy's aircraft carrier combat system and the steady enhancement of far-sea operational capabilities.

According to public reports, the Liaoning was commissioned in 2012. From December 2016 to January 2017, the Liaoning carrier group achieved significant breakthroughs. During this period, the Liaoning led a far-sea training group through the Miyako Strait, entering the Western Pacific and the South China Sea, marking the first time the Liaoning conducted training outside the first island chain since its commissioning.

While the Liaoning's far-sea training became routine, China's first domestically produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, also officially embarked on its far-sea journey. From April to May 2023, the Shandong carrier group made its first systematic and large-scale deployment to the Western Pacific, participating in combat readiness patrols around Taiwan and the "Joint Sword" exercise. In September 2023, the Shandong again ventured into the far sea for training, marking the second time that year it conducted far-sea training after its first deployment in April.

In October 2024, the Liaoning and Shandong carrier groups conducted their first dual-carrier formation exercises. In June 2025, the two carrier groups will transition to the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, and Western Pacific, coordinating with relevant military branches to organize mutual conditions and adversarial combat scenarios. This follows the first joint exercise of dual carrier groups organized in 2024, marking another instance of system confrontation exercises in the far sea. Currently, China has three aircraft carriers, with the third, the Fujian, being the first domestically designed and built electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier. The Fujian is currently steadily enhancing its combat capabilities.

Military expert Song Zhongping told Global Times reporters that the far-sea journey of China's aircraft carriers is a "growth history" that transitions from a testing and exploration platform to a combat-ready elite force. As a scientific testing and training platform for aircraft carriers, the Liaoning has continuously conducted long-term far-sea exercises over the years, exploring core tactics such as carrier-based aircraft operations, multi-service coordination, and formation offense and defense, accumulating a wealth of valuable combat experience for the training of domestic aircraft carrier personnel and the establishment of systems, thus promoting the gradual maturation and completeness of the People's Navy's aircraft carrier combat system.

Global Times reporters have noted from public reports that it took the Liaoning over four years from delivery to its first far-sea training in the Western Pacific, while the Shandong only took a little over three years. The Fujian is set to be officially commissioned on November 5, 2025; will its "debut" in the Western Pacific be even faster?

In response, Song Zhongping stated that this possibility cannot be ruled out. "All core technologies of the ship have been fully validated, and the technology is mature and reliable. At the same time, it has fully absorbed a wealth of experience accumulated from the construction and operation of the Liaoning and Shandong, completing systematic technological summaries and optimizations. Therefore, the cycle for it to achieve combat capability and comprehensive support capability may be significantly shorter compared to the first two carriers." The military expert indicated that once the Fujian ventures into the Western Pacific for far-sea activities, it would mean that the ship has achieved complete combat and support capabilities. This also fully confirms the iterative development of our aircraft carrier battle groups, with each new type of aircraft carrier building on the experience of its predecessors, with each type being stronger than the last.

Meanwhile, the Fujian has also enabled the Liaoning to benefit from technological feedback, as the J-15T heavy carrier-based fighter jet, adapted for catapult launches, first completed validation and finalization on the Fujian before conducting takeoffs and landings on the Liaoning.

In training footage released by CCTV on June 22, the J-15T heavy carrier-based fighter jet can be seen clearly taking off and landing from the Liaoning's ski-jump deck, with multiple J-15Ts on the deck in a state of readiness, carrying various munitions under their wings.

According to public reports, on September 22, 2025, the J-15T, J-35, and KJ-600 carrier-based aircraft completed their first catapult takeoff and landing training on the Fujian, marking another breakthrough in China's aircraft carrier development history as the Fujian has achieved electromagnetic catapult and recovery capabilities.

"The J-15T has undergone significant structural reinforcement based on the J-15, enabling it to withstand the enormous loads of electromagnetic catapults. Thanks to the structural upgrades, the J-15T achieves downward compatibility in performance, allowing it to meet the conditions for both catapult launches and ski-jump takeoffs," Song Zhongping stated. The Fujian's mature use of the full set of experience in dispatching and supporting catapult-type carrier-based aircraft can also benefit ski-jump carriers, further upgrading the Liaoning's carrier-based aircraft configuration and far-sea strike system, enhancing its combat effectiveness further. (Guo Yuandan)