Chinese Aircraft Carriers Launched Over 1000 Fighter Sorties During Latest Pacific Ops: What Makes Them So Dangerous?

Following the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s first ever deployment of two aircraft for simultaneous operations beyond the Second Island Chain from June 10, new details have continued to emerge regarding these unprecedented dual-carrier operations. A number of details were provided by the Japanese Ministry of Defence, which noted that the two carriers have been confirmed to have launched over 1000 aircraft takeoof and landing operations. The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force deployed warships to monitor the carrier groups, which are led by the warships Liaoning and Shandong. Exercises have taken the ships not only in the Miyako Strait between Okinawa and Miyako Island, the former which houses a partially sizeable American military presence, but also as far east as Guam which is the central hub for U.S. military operations in the region. The ability to launch over 1000 sorties remains particularly impressive when considering the smaller sizes of their air wings relative to American supercarriers, and their lack of multiple runways intended to launch several fighters and support aircraft near simultaneously. China’s first supercarrier the Fujian is scheduled to join the Navy before the end of the year, and will represent the only supercarrier currently operational outside the U.S. Navy.

The Liaoning and Shandong were revealed in November 2024 to have seen the capabilities of their air wings significantly improved with the integration of new J-15B ‘4+ generation’ fighters and supporting J-15D electronic attack jets, which are far superior to the baseline J-15s that first joined the fleet in the early 2010s. Improvements to the design include higher use of more advanced composite materials for a lighter and more durable airframe, use of a more advanced AESA radar, and integration of advanced stealth coatings, and use of some of the world’s most sophisticated avionics and electronic warfare systems, making the J-15B a close contender for the title of the world’s most capable pre-fifth generation fighter class. A further significant improvement to the carriers’ potential has been the fast improving capabilities of their destroyer escorts, with the Liaoning’s carrier group including two Type 055 destroyers and two Type 052D destroyers, while that of the Shandong’s included one Type 055 and Type 052D, alongside frigates and support ships. The Type 055 and Type 052D have been produced in parallel as a high-low combination for the Navy and integrate many of the same technologies, with both seeing their capabilities incrementally improved both between production models, and as new subsystems and weaponry, such as YJ-21 hypersonic missiles, are integrated across the fleet.