China army to test Shandong aircraft carrier in three-day drill
The exercises will also feature China's Type 075 amphibious assault ship.
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China's aircraft carrier Liaoning 16 ( sister ship of the Shandong 17 ) takes part in a
military drill of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the
western Pacific Ocean. (photo credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS) |
China
will hold a 10-day military exercise in the South China Sea, just off
the southern Chinese Coast, in the waters surrounding Hainan.
The drill will begin on Wednesday, according to the South China Morning Post , which cited China’s maritime safety divisions.
Three simultaneous exercises, aimed at bolstering China's military
presence in the contested waters, will feature one of the country's
newest aircraft carriers, the Shandong, which entered into the Chinese
navy last year that will be combat ready within the next few months.
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| The Shandong 17 aircraft carrier shortly before the commissioning ceremony. (Photo: CCTV1) |
The
exercises will also feature China's Type 075 amphibious assault ship
fitted with a helicopter landing dock and "test new equipment which had
joined the service over the past year."
“These
exercises are arranged according to the PLA’s annual training plan
signed by Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Mission, in
January," a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) source told the South China Morning Post.
The
drills, which have been in the works for over a month, were postponed
earlier in the year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. China
states that out of its 2.3 million personnel, that there are currently
no reported coronavirus cases within the military.
The
Shandong carrier group sailed through the Taiwan Strait a day after a
US warship transited the same waterway. China's military said it tailed
the ship.
China's navy said
the Shandong and its accompanying ships had "smoothly" transited the
sensitive and narrow Taiwan Strait on Sunday, heading for exercises in
the South China Sea, where China has extensive and disputed territorial
gains.
The drills are part of
"normal arrangements made in accordance with annual plans," it said.
"In the future, we will continue to organize similar operations based on
training needs." |
| The Shandong 17 aircraft carrier towed to the dock at the end of a sea trial campaign. (Photo: Chinese Internet) |
Taiwan's
Defense Ministry said the Shandong was accompanied by four warships and
had set out from the northern Chinese port of Dalian on Thursday. Taiwan
said it sent six warships and eight air force aircraft to "stand guard"
and monitor the Chinese ships' movements.
The Shandong is China's second carrier, and was formally commissioned almost exactly a year ago.Since
then, it has successfully completed tasks such as carrier-based
aircraft take-off and landing and use of its weapons, the Chinese navy
said.
"The combat capability
of the formation system has been continuously improved in experimental
training," it added, referring to the group of warships which accompany
the Shandong.
China has been
working to hone its carrier operations, but has little experience
compared to the United States, which has operated integrated carrier
battle groups with multiple vessels for decades.
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