PLA Navy makes preparations for Liaoning Aircraft Carrier formation
Within
only a month, the development of China’s aircraft carrier experienced
the official delivery of the “Liaoning Ship” to the Navy
of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the successful
taking-off and landing training of the carrier-borne J-15 fighter nicknamed
“Flying Shark” on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Western
observers feel astonished at the speed of the development of China’s
aircraft carrier and no longer doubt that China’s first aircraft
carrier formation will debut in the near future.
A naval open-sea taskforce mainly composed of warships from the East
China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy sailed to the vast waters of the
West Pacific Ocean and carried out routine drills again on November
28, 2012. During the open-sea training, the taskforce conducted training
on such subjects as round-the-clock navigation and defense, open-sea
combat and supply and escort for large surface ship. Military experts
speculate that such open-sea training may be the preparation for the
building of China’s first aircraft carrier formation.
Chinese Navy
Type 052C Lanzhou class Destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang II)
A naval open-sea taskforce mainly composed of warships from the East
China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy sailed to the vast waters of the
West Pacific Ocean and carried out routine drills again on November
28, 2012. During the open-sea training, the taskforce conducted training
on such subjects as round-the-clock navigation and defense, open-sea
combat and supply and escort for large surface ship. Military experts
speculate that such open-sea training may be the preparation for the
building of China’s first aircraft carrier formation.
Various fleets started mission-oriented formation drills
Actually, various fleets under the PLA Navy had begun mission-oriented
drills before the commissioning of the “Liaoning Ship”.
Especially in recent years, the lineup and formation, communication
and command and combined tactics of large surface ship taskforce have
become the basic components of open-sea training of the PLA Navy.
Chinese Navy
FUQING class AOR/Fleet supply vessel881 Hongzehu
A
joint taskforce under the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy consisting
of seven warships, including the “Harbin” and “Shijiazhuang”
guided missile destroyers, also carried out coordinated training among
multiple arms in the waters of the West Pacific Ocean in early October.
Obviously, with the official delivery of the aircraft carrier “Liaoning
Ship”, the PLA Navy will timely carry out joint taskforce drill
between the “Liaoning Ship” and other surface ships.
Most of the main active warships can be incorporated into the aircraft
carrier formation
Based on the existing PLA naval ships, the “Liaoning Ship”
has been able to be built into a formation focusing on control of the
air and the sea in accordance with task requirements.
Judging from the warships’ performances and experience, most of
the main active warships of the three major fleets under the PLA Navy
can be incorporated into the aircraft carrier formation, such as the
guided missile destroyers “Lanzhou” (170 warship) and “Haikou”
(171 warship), nicknamed the “China’s aegis” of the
South China Sea Fleet. All the comprehensive supply ships in various
fleets, such as the “Hongze Lake” comprehensive supply ship
(881 warship), can undertake the open-sea comprehensive supply for the
aircraft carrier formation.
A J-15 Flying
Shark fighter jet takes off from Chinese Navy Aircraft Carrier Liaoning
(CV16)
Future aircraft carrier formation will be composed of latest-type warships
Restricted by such factors as the experience of aircraft carrier operations
and the number of the PLA main naval ships, China’s aircraft carrier
formation will be kept in an appropriate scale, and mainly composed
of the “Liaoning Ship”, four to six guided missile destroyers
and guided missile frigates, one to two nuclear attack submarines or
new-type conventional submarines and one comprehensive supply ship.
The formation will be constantly tested and adjusted during training.
Compared with that of the U.S. Navy, the first aircraft carrier formation
of the Chinese Navy will have more experimental and transitional characteristics.
With the increasingly accelerated modernization of the PLA naval ships,
the future aircraft carrier formation will be composed of China’s
latest-type surface ships and new-type nuclear attack submarines. Large
amphibious warfare ships and open-sea comprehensive supply ships will
also be included in the formation.
Undoubtedly, combat effectiveness is the unique yardstick, whether the
future aircraft carrier formation is based on the active warships or
on new-type information-based warships. The PLA Navy has just taken
its first step in building the aircraft carrier formation, and it will
need at least five to ten years before the aircraft carrier formation
has the real combat effectiveness and comprehensive attack-and-defense
capabilities in coastal waters and open-sea.
From: Xinhua
