Does this video show a Chinese navy fighter jet warning off a US destroyer?

Video was aired on state media to mark 10th anniversary of Liaoning aircraft carrier
Experts say China now has a combat-capable aircraft carrier

China’s military

Kawala Xie

Published: 5:44pm, 27 Sep 2022

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A video released on Chinese state media appears to show a Chinese J-15 fighter jet scrambled at sea to warn off a suspected US guided-missile destroyer, according to an analyst.

The video was released on a CCTV military programme to mark the 10th anniversary of the commissioning of China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

The video showed a fighter jet taking off from the deck of the Liaoning. A vessel resembling an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer then briefly appears below a Chinese jet.

A still (left) from a video released by Chinese state media appears to show a US Arleigh Burke-class guided- missile destroyer (right).

The video did not disclose the date, location, or the purpose of the mission.

Former Chinese colonel Yue Gang said the appearance and features of the warship, including a large, four-sided phased array radar antenna, a double funnel, anti-submarine torpedoes, and the lifeboats conformed to the characteristics of the US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

“The J-15 was located on the side of the US warship and was a few hundred metres [above the water], which shows the fighter aircraft was conducting a warning and expulsion mission,” he said.

“[It] shows that there is already a combat-capable aircraft carrier among China’s three aircraft carriers.”

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are widely used by the US Navy and similar vessels are in use in the South Korean and Japanese navies.

The Chinese military has been tracking the activities of most foreign warships and aircraft in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, where Beijing has made extensive territorial claims.

Last week, China’s navy and air force monitored the passage of the US Navy’s USS Higgins, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, through the Taiwan Strait, a transit conducted along with the Canadian navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver.

Another US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Benfold, also sailed through the Taiwan Strait on July 19.

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The Liaoning has been deployed on several missions to test its capabilities over the past few months. In May, the aircraft carrier was accompanied by two H-6 bomber planes for drills in the western Pacific after sailing near Japan’s Okinawa Islands. The passage put Tokyo on high alert, prompting it to send a destroyer to track the Liaoning’s movement.

Japan’s Ministry of Defence said China conducted more than 200 aircraft take-offs and landings on the Liaoning during the mission.

The Chinese military and state media have released several videos since Friday to mark the Liaoning’s commissioning. One CCTV video detailed the development and trials of the vessel over the last decade, including live-fire drills and its inspection during China’s first naval parade in 2018.

Another navy video shows the Liaoning fully loaded with 24 J-15 fighter jets and several helicopters on board. It was the first time that many J-15s had been seen on board the vessel, according to the Global Times.

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“Our aircraft carriers have leapt in development. Our equipment strength, personnel training level, and overall combat capability are getting stronger and stronger,” Cui Yonggang, captain of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, said in one video.

“We believe in the near future the three aircraft carriers will demonstrate our powerful and peaceful army on a broader international stage.”

The 10th anniversary of the commissioning of the Liaoning also came as China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, a domestically developed vessel, started its mooring trials last week after being launched in June.

Military expert Zhang Junshe said China’s three aircraft carriers had just met “the minimum requirement” for combat. He said more warships should be added in the aircraft carrier fleet in the future to boost its capability, according to a CCTV report.