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Zhao Ziwen

After two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other in October, analysts said there were lessons for the Chinese navy as it rapidly expands aircraft carrier operations.
They said the People’s Liberation Army could learn from its rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training.
The US Navy said the aircraft – an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet – went down in separate incidents on October 26 while “conducting routine operations”.
They were based on the USS Nimitz – the oldest American aircraft carrier which will soon be decommissioned after 50 years of service.
Three crew members in the helicopter and two personnel in the fighter jet had been rescued and were “safe and in stable condition”, the US Navy said.
It said an investigation was under way into what caused the two crashes.

The US search and rescue response was “first class” and China should take note of the “institutionalised” American maritime emergency training, according to military commentator Xiao Yongle.
Writing in the latest edition of Chinese military magazine Naval and Merchant Ships, Xiao noted the speed of the response.
He said search and rescue helicopters and escort vessels were quickly mobilised and “tightly standardised procedures” were followed on the aircraft carrier’s flight deck, by medical units and information assessment centres, which “significantly reduced the risk of casualties”.
Xiao also highlighted the long reach of the US shore-based command system, noting that the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area District 14 – based in Honolulu, Hawaii – had coordinated helicopter-borne rescue and medical assistance in the South China Sea.
“[The US military] has much to offer, such as carrier-based aircraft training systems, long-range sustainment capabilities and combat search-and-rescue frameworks,” Xiao wrote.
China has three aircraft carriers in service. Its most advanced – equipped with electromagnetic catapults – is the Fujian, which was commissioned on November 5. Many observers believe China now has the technical capacity to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
As the PLA’s fleet of warships has expanded, its activities have become more frequent and longer in range. In June, the Liaoning aircraft carrier crossed the second island chain in the western Pacific Ocean and sailed close to the American Guam military base for the first time.
And amid a diplomatic feud between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan, Japan’s defence ministry detected around 260 take-offs and landings on the Liaoning as it sailed in the Pacific from December 6 to 12.


That increased activity also raises the risk of incidents, according to Yue Gang, a retired PLA colonel.
He said the Chinese navy should prepare by building on and consolidating its maintenance and rescue capabilities alongside combat readiness – and even draw on American procedures.
“The US has a century of experience in aircraft carrier operations,” Yue noted. “Many of its rescue manuals and operational practices are publicly available and are neither classified nor top secret.”
Xiao said pilot training should be stepped up through virtual simulations of adverse weather and mechanical failures.
China’s military rarely discloses accidents related to aircraft carrier operations, but state media reports have mentioned the deaths of two air force pilots as they tested J-15 fighter jets on the Liaoning in 2014, without giving further details. Another pilot was reportedly killed in 2016 due to a flight control system malfunction during a simulated deck landing at an inland base.
While analysts pointed to the US strengths, they also highlighted shortcomings in aircraft carrier maintenance and training.
“Mechanical failures and maintenance oversights could potentially be exposed [during the investigation into the two South China Sea crashes], which are inevitable tests we may face in the future,” Xiao wrote.
He said key equipment should be closely monitored and the PLA should also leverage automated technology for maintenance and security checks.
“The decades of technical experience accumulated by the US military in accidents should become valuable assets for us,” he added.


The US military has faced persistent funding pressure, particularly during Donald Trump’s second presidency. The Pentagon earlier this year ordered an 8 per cent budget cut that prioritised certain programmes that did not include aircraft carriers.
Meanwhile, as US shipbuilding capacity has weakened, the US Navy has had to deal with widespread delays in ship deliveries. A Pentagon report released this month said China’s aircraft carrier capabilities could match those of the United States by 2035.
“The US military’s overuse of second-hand components and cuts to maintenance funding have led to a surge in failures,” Xiao wrote, arguing that the PLA must secure its supply chains and budget.
According to Yue, there are also issues with training in the US Navy.
“Fatigue, decision-making errors caused by stress, manpower shortages resulting from incomplete training, and long overseas deployments all lead to such accidents,” Yue said. “This is a lesson China must learn, and take a stronger focus on personnel training.”


US Navy aircraft crashes offer lessons for PLA carrier operations, analysts say

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South China Sea: how third PLA Navy aircraft carrier changes dynamics for US

China’s navy

Two US Navy aircraft based on the USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within half an hour of each other in October. Photo: Handout

The USS Nimitz was said to be conducting “routine operations” when the separate incidents took place. Photo: Handout

Beijing accuses US of undermining South China Sea peace after plane and helicopter crashes

Both the helicopter and fighter jet had been operating from the USS Nimitz. Photo: US Pacific Fleet

China’s military denies electronic jamming caused US Navy air crashes

A fighter and helicopter launched from the USS Nimitz crashed on the same day last month. Photo: US Navy

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China

Military

Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training


Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training.


US Navy aircraft crashes offer lessons for PLA carrier operations, analysts say

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training

Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training