China announces successful flight test on aircraft carrier as it unveils new fighter jet
China has successfully conducted its first flight landing on its new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in a move that extends Beijing’s ability to project its growing military might in territorial disputes.
China has successfully conducted its first flight landing on its new aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, state media reported on Sunday, in a move that extends Beijing’s ability to project its growing military might in territorial disputes.
A carrier-based fighter jet, identified as the J-15, was seen landing and taking off in exercises on the Liaoning in a video shown Saturday night on China Network Television, the online division of state broadcaster CCTV. The station did not disclose the date or dates on which the exercises were conducted.
“The successful landing... has always been seen as a symbol of the operating combat capability for an aircraft carrier,” Zhang Junshe, a vice director at the military’s Naval Affairs Research Institute, told state television.
“This is a landmark event for China’s aircraft carrier... and [moves it] one step closer to combat readiness.”
This is the first official confirmation of a successful flight exercise on the Liaoning since the Chinese Communist Party-sponsored tabloid Global Times broke the news on November 20, quoting anonymous sources.
[A clip from CCTV shows the J-15 landing at 1:34--1:55 and taking off at 2:41--3:12.]