Chinese official media releases footage documenting J-15 fighters' sortie from Liaoning to expel foreign aircraft

Chinese official media on Sunday released footage documenting J-15 fighter jets taking off from an aircraft carrier at an undisclosed location in Western Pacific to expel foreign aircraft believed to be attempting mock attacks on the Chinese carrier group. A Chinese expert said the foreign aircraft's move posed safety risks, while the Chinese response was legitimate and professionally carried out.

While the Liaoning aircraft carrier group of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was sailing in the Western Pacific, four foreign fighter jets were spotted closing in. The command room on the Liaoning assessed that they might be simulating an attack on the Chinese formation, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Sunday, without providing details such as the date of the incident or the country of origin of the foreign aircraft.

Although the Chinese aircraft carrier formation was sailing in a region under heavy rain and strong convection at the time, as the foreign fighter jets kept approaching, J-15 fighter jets on board the Liaoning, armed with live missiles, conducted emergency sorties. They reached the designated area, performed a series of tactical maneuvers, before successfully expelling the foreign aircraft, CCTV News reported.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that the Chinese aircraft carrier has the right to take measures to protect itself, including intercepting close-in approaches by foreign military aircraft.

The footage showed the challenging weather conditions, which not only restricted visibility and added uncertainties to the performance of airborne equipment, but also significantly reduced the opportunity windows for landing.

Song said that aircraft carriers are built to be all-weather operable. The mission demonstrated that the PLA sailors and naval aviators on the Liaoning are well trained and have strong combat capabilities.

"For decades, they alone [foreign forces] operated over this region [Western Pacific]. Today, we can compete in the same field," said Ke Xuelong, a member of the PLA Navy's carrier-borne aviation force. Hou Haipeng, another member, added "No matter how strong the enemy is or how complex the situation is, we dare to draw our swords," according to the CCTV report.