China’s two operational aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, have sailed together in the South China Sea in what has been widely seen as a show of force amidst ongoing tensions over the future of Taiwan.
This is the first dual carrier drill ever conducted by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. The exercise follows several other drills the two carriers have performed separately during the last few months.
In pictures released by the Chinese government on its social media channels, the two carriers can be seen sailing side by side in the company of a dozen other smaller vessels, while being overflown by several carrier-based Shenyang J-15 fighter jets.
The two carriers involved in the exercises are relatively old designs, based on Soviet-era carriers. However, China has an ambitious program of naval modernization and expansion that will see it deploy a new generation of larger, domestically developed aircraft carriers.
The first of this new class of carriers, the Fujian, is currently undergoing sea trials ahead of its entry into service sometime in the near future.