By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
China’s 2nd Shandong aircraft carrier is operating in formations analogous to US Navy Carrier Strike Groups flanked by a group of warships and venturing beyond its typical operational envelope, according to a Chinese Government-backed newspaper the GlobalTimes
The expanded, US-Navy-like “strike group” formations with the Shandong correspond with People’s Liberation Army – Navy preparations for a second voyage “beyond the first island chain.” This appears to be a clear effort to project power beyond its immediate sphere of influence, “encircle and threaten” Taiwan and move further toward establishing China as a dominant global maritime power.
Transiting beyond the first island chain, a maritime area largely referred to as Japan, Taiwan, Philippines and Indonesia, aligns with China’s well-documented ambition to assert itself as an unrivaled global power capable of expanding reach and power well beyond the Pacific theater.
With its third carrier, the Fujian, already underway and a widely observed, high-speed shipbuilding enterprise, the Chinese Navy is accelerating efforts to expand its Naval influence far beyond the Pacific and close what is a massive “carrier deficit” when compared to the US Navy’s 11.
China has added a second shipyard, is known to be fast-tracking or quickly producing new amphibious assault ships, destroyers and carriers. Also, there is much discussion about the well-known Chinese civil-military “fusion” enabling their government to massively expedite production of new warships.
A Chinese government-backed newspaper says the Shandong carrier is fast-making technological breakthroughs with a massively increased sortie rate, more rigorous training and an “intensification” of operational capacity. The Global Times newspaper explained that the PLA Navy’s Shandong also appears to be replicating what the US Navy calls a Carrier Strike Groups, as the Chinese carrier traveled with at least six other warships.
The Shandong carrier has already made several transits in disputed areas around the South China Sea and conducted “dual carrier” war preparation exercises not long after the US Navy trained for networked, high-speed, two-carrier attack preparation. The group of accompanying ships, according to the paper, included the emerging Type 055 stealthy new high-tech destroyer.
“A Type 055 large destroyer, two Type 052D destroyers, two Type 054A frigates and a Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship, accompanied the Shandong in the carrier combat group,” the Global Times says.
During this recent exercise, the Shandong was also able to operate carrier-launched J-15 fighter jets at night.
Detail cited in the paper’s description of the Shandong’s recent exercises indicates that the PLA Navy’s “jump” in sortie rate is quite substantial.
“According to press releases from Japan’s Defense Ministry Joint Staff at that time, the Shandong hosted about 620 aircraft sorties during the 18-day exercise, surpassing the previous record set by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, which was about 320 aircraft sorties in 15 days,” the paper states.
An increased sortie rate is indeed significant as it is one of the major breakthroughs associated with the US Ford-class carriers which operate with larger deck space to accommodate a large up-tick in sortie rate.
By referring to plans for the carrier to sail beyond the “first island chain,” the paper aligns with the Pentagon’s longstanding concern that China is indeed seeking to greatly expand its influence beyond the Pacific to support military and economic activity across the globe, in places such as Djibouti, Africa, South America and parts of the Middle East.
The Chinese paper was quite specific about the implications of its expanded carrier reach and power projection capabilities, stating that the Shandong was able to “encircle” Taiwan and transit within 600km of Guam during its first journey beyond the first island chain in April of this year.
3rd Chinese Carrier “Fujian”
China is planning a massive 85,000 ton, 40-plus aircraft-strong high-tech carrier engineered with an electromagnetic catapult and a much greater attack range than its first carriers. Such a move is part of an aggressive, multi-year Naval modernization initiative to help the country emerge as a leading global power.
China’s third aircraft carrier, called the Fujian is now prepping for “sea trials” and operational service, a development which likely generates no shortage of concern at the Pentagon given the pace at which the PRC is revving up shipbuilding and accelerating fleet expansion. China has in recent months and years been adding new shipyards and generating new classes of Type 075 amphibs. Type 055 quasi-stealthy new destroyers and of course new aircraft carriers as well.
It is certainly now well known that, in terms of pure numbers, China’s Naval fleet is larger than the US Navy, a fact however which does not necessarily translate into maritime overmatch or superiority. Nevertheless, the concern is significant given the pace at which China is adding new ships due to its pace of ship-construction and well-known civil-military fusion, and there are likely many unanswered questions about the extent to which the PLA Navy has the technological capability to truly challenge the US Navy.
It is certainly now well known that, in terms of pure numbers, China’s Naval fleet is larger than the US Navy, a fact however which does not necessarily translate into maritime overmatch or superiority. Nevertheless, the concern is significant given the pace at which China is adding new ships due to its pace of ship-construction and well-known civil-military fusion, and there are likely many unanswered questions about the extent to which the PLA Navy has the technological capability to truly challenge the US Navy.
Nonetheless, China’s growing carrier fleet is concerning for a number of key reasons, both in terms of the PLA’s strategic approach and carrier design. The Fujian, is progressing quickly toward operational service. In fact a January 2023 report in the Eurasian Times says China’s Fujian will conduct “sea trials” this year, a critical step toward full deployment and operational status.
The Fujian has a larger deck-space which, in a manner similar to the USS Ford, is likely designed to enable a much higher sortie rate and power-project capability when compared to it
s first two carriers. An even larger concern with the Fujian, however, may relate to its reported use of US Navy Ford-class-like electromagnetic catapult technology. Both China’s first two carriers incorporate steam catapults, yet the emerging 3rd Chinese carrier appears to “copy,” “mirror,” or “match” the US-Ford-class-like electromagnetic catapult. Reports from China’s Global Times Newspaper and South China Morning post report that the Fujian is indeed being built with an electromagnetic catapult
This is quite significant, as this possibility not only raises concerns about possible PLA technology “theft” and widely observed US “copycat” efforts but also indicates that China’s new carrier might be well positioned to better project power and maintain its Carrier Air Wing. US Navy Electromagnetic Air Launch Systems (EMALs), not only allow for smoother, more efficient launches but also greatly reduce stress or wear and tear on airframes, something which extends service life, power projection and sustained aircraft performance. The exact extent of the technological sophistication being built into electromagnetic propulsion for China’s Fujian may not be known, yet it is likely getting attention at the Pentagon an area of concern.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
