The Liaoning goes to the Western Pacific to test new technologies! Experts reveal the layout behind "this aircraft ship"

The Chinese aircraft carrier "Liaoning" once again led a fleet to the Western Pacific for training in October. The US military media "Defense News" quoted multiple military analysts as saying that the Liaoning's frequent long-sea deployments may be forming a continuously evolving training model to test flight operations, sensors and modern military aircraft. Relevant experience may also help the "Shandong" aircraft master new technologies.

"Defense News" reported on the 23rd that Carl Thayer, an honorary professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, believes that the Liaoning continues to appear in China's offshore and far seas, demonstrating the military capabilities and political influence of the Chinese navy. Collin Koh, a senior researcher at the S. S. Rajaratnam Institute of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, pointed out that the Shandong is basically an improved version of the Liaoning. The deployment of the Liaoning may be to verify specific technologies and allow the newer Shandong to accumulate operational experience with emerging technologies.

China's official Xinhua News Agency reported that the Liaoning fleet went to the Western Pacific for training on October 14, saying that this was part of an annual routine training plan to test and improve the unit's combat readiness capabilities. The Global Times described the Liaoning as having gradually transformed from an "offshore pathfinder" into a "high-sea razor."

Japan monitors carrier-based aircraft taking off and landing south of Ishigaki Island

The activities of the Liaoning have also attracted Japanese attention. "Defense News" reported that the Japanese Ministry of Defense had observed the Liaoning carrier-based aircraft taking off and landing about 250 kilometers south of Ishigaki Island. Colin Karotam, a senior fellow in defense strategic planning at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), said that it is not common for the Liaoning formation to take off and land carrier-based aircraft within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but it may have happened in the past.

The US-Japan "Keen Sword" joint military exercise will be launched on October 19. Huang Jiezheng, chairman of the Chinese Strategy and Wargames Research Association in Taipei, told Defense News that the Liaoning is the oldest of China's three aircraft carriers currently in service. If an emergency occurs, it may not be the first-line response force. Xinhua News Agency stated that the Liaoning's activities were in compliance with international law and were not targeted at any specific country or target.