China's aircraft carrier Shandong conducts full-process flight support exercise

China

China's aircraft carrier Shandong conducts full-process flight support exercise

2025-05-24 13:22 Last Updated At：19:17

The Chinese navy's aircraft carrier Shandong conducted a full-process flight support exercise at a military port in Sanya City on the southern tip of the Hainan Island to hone the crew's real-combat skills.

As the siren sounded, flight support personnel in color-coded uniforms quickly rushed to their respective positions and organized a simulated fighter launch, with the fire support team and the medical rescue team on standby in case of emergencies.

During the exercise, the officers and soldiers were suddenly directed to replace arresting cables and conduct a damage control rescue operation to test their emergency response capabilities.

"The drill scenario was random, complicated, and closer to actual combat. It effectively tested the crew's emergency response capabilities. During the training, the officers and soldiers handled the situation in an orderly and coordinated manner," said Xie Tianlizhi, a crew member onboard the aircraft carrier.

China currently operates a fleet of three aircraft carriers. The first, the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-made vessel, was commissioned in 2012, followed by the Shandong, China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, which was delivered in 2019. The third, the Fujian, was unveiled in 2022 as China's first carrier equipped with a catapult launch system.

The Shandong aircraft carrier has successfully completed more than 10 major training and exercise tasks, including the first live-fire confrontation drill and the first cross-regional maneuver, from near waters to far seas since its commissioning.

In December 2020, the Shandong crossed the Taiwan Strait for cross-regional maneuvers. In May 2021, it went to the South China Sea, safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. In August 2022, it carried out a drill that actually used weapons. In April 2023, it participated in the "Joint Sword" exercise around the Taiwan Island. In October 2024, it joined the Liaoning to conduct their first-ever dual-carrier formation exercise in the South China Sea, highlighting China's growing naval capabilities.

China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches

China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.

"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.

Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.

In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.

Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.

As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.