For what may well be the very first time, the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China are both operating aircraft carriers in the South China Sea.
On April 4, the U.S. Navy’s USS Theodore Roosevelt and the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Liaoning were both sailing in the sea accompanied by escort ships. At the same time, the U.S. Navy uploaded a photo of the destroyer USS Mustin sailing near the Chinese carrier, with the ship’s commanders looking on.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group was active in the southern half of the South China Sea, exercising with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. This U.S. Navy video shows F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters flying alongside RMAF Russian-made Su-30 fighters, and a single RMAF F/A-18D two-seat Hornet fighter. The mixed formation of jets overflies the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the carrier USS Roosevelt.
The Navy says the Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will exercise with forces from Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea during the current deployment, describing the operations as “routine.” The guided missile destroyer USS Russell rounds out the three-ship strike group on the surface, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine is likely sailing under the surface to screen for subsea threats.
Another U.S. Navy task force, the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), is also in the South China Sea. The ARG, centered around the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, is carrying F-35B Joint Strike Fighters; MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft; and the rest of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a battalion-sized Marine Corps unit capable of air, land, and sea operations. The Roosevelt CSG and Makin Island ARG teamed up on April 9 to practice as an even larger Expeditionary Strike Force.
Combined, Theodore Roosevelt and Makin Island operate a total of about 50 fighter jets, including 40-44 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and six F-35B Joint Strike Fighters.
#OSINT #SouthChinaSea #ChineseNavy #USNavy Heading West through the Luzon Strait is part of the Laioning carrier strike group, the Type 055 Renhai class and one Type 052D Luyang III class aren’t with the group. A J-15 Flying Shark can be seen just taking off from Laioning. pic.twitter.com/KlF7Ul16tO
— OSINT-1 (@OSINT_1) April 10, 2021
Very unusual image of the commanding officer and executive officer of #destroyer USS #MUSTIN DDG89 as they shadow #Chinese #carrier #LIAONING 16 in the Philippine Sea on 4 April. US #Navy rarely acknowledges both its efforts to shadow Chinese ships and Chinese shadowing US ships pic.twitter.com/2tv4GF7XIO
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) April 11, 2021
The photo shows the Mustin’s commanding officer and executive officer casually looking on while sailing off Liaoning’s starboard quarter—the opposite side the ship is sailing on in the satellite image. The U.S. Navy uploaded the Mustin photo to the Pentagon’s Defense Visual Information Service, but deleted after it went viral on Twitter.
There are some photos that come to define the beginning of an era, and the Mustin photo has that feel. It perfectly encapsulates this moment in time as the U.S. Navy, and the rest of the western world, looks on as China’s military continues its meteoric rise. Liaoning, China’s first carrier, is an excellent example of that.
Hopefully, the era will continue to see the U.S. and Chinese navies sailing alongside—and not toward—each other.