The Liaoning Aircraft Carrier's New Combat Capabilities Face a "Big Test": Four Keywords Reveal the Highlights

Yesterday (19th), the People's Liberation Army Navy organized the Liaoning aircraft carrier group to conduct training in relevant waters of the Western Pacific. During this period, exercises will include long-range tactical flights, live-fire shooting, support and cover, and comprehensive rescue, to test and enhance the troops' level of combat training. Experts point out that this training is not only a "big test" of the new combat capabilities of the Liaoning platform but also a comprehensive examination of the overall combat capabilities of the carrier group.

The Navy stated that this training activity is a routine exercise organized according to the annual plan, aimed at continuously improving mission capability, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices.

Military Observer Wei Dongxu: The training of the Liaoning aircraft carrier group in relevant waters of the Western Pacific has four keywords worth noting.

The first keyword is "long-range tactical flight". This refers to the carrier operating far away, and the carrier-based aircraft flying far. On the Liaoning, the carrier-based aircraft have the capability for high-intensity combat training, and the People's Navy has equipped the J-15T integrated carrier-based aircraft, which is believed to be able to take off from both catapult-type and ski-jump-type carriers. Therefore, it is worth noting whether the Liaoning is carrying improved new carrier-based aircraft for this training in the relevant waters of the Western Pacific. In the future, whether there will be a new combat combination of carrier-based aircraft on the Liaoning is very noteworthy.

The second keyword is "live-fire shooting". This means that the carrier-based aircraft will conduct live-fire strikes, and the carrier itself may also participate in live-fire exercises. Similarly, advanced carrier-based aircraft can use onboard radar to lock onto maritime targets and launch air-launched anti-ship missiles, testing their capabilities for detection, identification, locking, and precise strikes against maritime targets. The Liaoning itself is equipped with close-in weapon systems, so the live-fire shooting exercises may be more diversified.

The third keyword is "support and cover". This concept encompasses multiple layers of meaning. First, the carrier-based aircraft need to provide support and cover for the entire carrier group, conducting joint operations with escort destroyers and frigates to suppress opponents and protect the carrier.

The fourth keyword is "comprehensive rescue". In the event of an emergency with the carrier-based aircraft, pilots need to eject and parachute to escape, and rescue forces must arrive quickly and provide precise assistance to save the lives of the carrier-based aircraft pilots to the greatest extent possible. This requires deploying search and rescue helicopters from the carrier to complete the mission swiftly.

It can be said that conducting training in the Western Pacific is a "big test" of the new combat capabilities of the Liaoning platform and a comprehensive examination of the overall combat capabilities of the carrier group.