- The CNS Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier valued at $9 billion, was recently captured by NASA's Landsat 8 satellite while conducting naval exercises in the Pacific Ocean.
- The Liaoning is approximately 656 feet long and 131 feet wide, smaller than other known Chinese carriers, according to U.S. Navy officials.
- Since President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use American ATACMS missiles to strike Russia, China and Russia have been enhancing their military cooperation through joint exercises.
- The Liaoning has been sighted near Japan and in waters east of the Philippines, conducting extensive flight operations, including fighter jet take-offs and landings, and helicopter operations.
- The U.S. and Japan have heightened their naval presence in response to China's military activities. The U.S. Navy deployed warships to monitor Chinese operations, while Japan expressed gratitude for U.S. support and emphasized the importance of the U.S. Navy's presence for regional stability.
The CNS Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier worth $9 billion, was spotted in the Pacific Ocean from space by NASA satellites.
NASA's Landsat 8 satellite recently captured Liaoning while it made port among other aircraft carriers at a shipyard and conducted naval exercises. Another satellite image showed the aircraft carrier moving out to sea.
U.S. Navy officials who were monitoring the warship reported that its deck was about 656 feet long and 131 feet wide, making Liaoning smaller than other known Chinese carriers.
The images were taken days after President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use American long-range missiles called Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to strike Russia, China's ally. To date, China is Russia's largest trading partner following Western sanctions. The former also now enjoys significant discounts on energy exports while supplying essential technology and consumer goods.
As of September 2024, reports suggested that China and Russia were ramping up joint military exercises. (Related: Taiwan receives first shipment of HIMARS rocket system from the U.S. as it prepares for possible Chinese invasion.)
The Chinese military currently has more than 370 warships and submarines in its fleet, making it the largest naval force created worldwide. The Chinese military has also worked overtime to quickly boost its fleet while also keeping up with U.S. carrier technology.
The Liaoning was operating near Japan in 2023, where the aircraft carrier was carrying guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer. The Chinese aircraft carrier also conducted flight operations with an estimated 20 launches and recoveries of fighters in 2023.
According to reports, there were allegedly at least 40 take-offs and landings of helicopters from the carrier. From Sept. 20 to Oct. 1, 2024, the Liaoning performed flight operations with carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters in waters east of the Philippines and west of Guam.
According to a release by Japan's Joint Staff Office (JSO), the aircraft carried out 250 launches and recoveries of its fighter aircraft and 160 take-offs and landings of its helicopters during that period.
Its location was given as relative to distance from Okinotorishima, an atoll in the Philippine Sea administered by Japan. The atoll is located midway between Guam and Taiwan.
Chinese Navy also deployed CNS Shandong aircraft carrier
The U.S. Naval Institute reported that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) also deployed its CNS Shandong aircraft carrier, which sailed into the South China Sea about 397 miles south of Miyako Island in Japan.
The U.S. deployed its fleet of warships to the northwest coast of Luzon in the Philippines to monitor China's operations and reported that the Liberation Army could be readying itself for an attack on Japan.
Tensions between China and Japan have continued to grow amid worries over the latter's close relationship with the United States.
Earlier in November, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed its gratitude to the U.S. for deploying ships to the region while reports of China's warships increased.
"As the security environment in the region becomes increasingly severe, maintaining a robust presence of the U.S. Navy through the forward-deployment of USS George Washington and the Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 is essential to the security of Japan and the maintenance of regional peace and stability. Japan highly values the role that the US 7th Fleet plays for such objective," MOFA stated in a press release.
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