For the first time in the history of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), all three aircraft carriers of China are at sea at the same time at different locations, in what could be seen as a testimony to China's growing maritime capabilities.
In a tweet, journalist Ian Ellis wrote: "A monumental milestone — for the first time in its 97-year history, three PLA Navy aircraft carriers were underway at the same time."
According to media reports, satellite imagery confirmed that all three carriers—'Liaoning', 'Shandong', and the latest addition 'Fujian', which is designed with Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) capabilities—are sailing as of September 18.
The presence of these aircraft carriers in different waters was confirmed by defense ministries of Japan and Taiwan and a few open-source intelligence (OSINT) specialists.
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It is to be noted that Fujian is yet to be commissioned.
Liaoning is China's first aircraft carrier. Originally constructed as a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser for the Soviet Navy, after heavy modifications, it is now a key asset for the Chinese Navy. The Shandong is China's second aircraft and the first to be wholly domestically built.
While 'Liaoning', and 'Shandong' have been at sea simultaneously before, this is for the first time that all three carriers are sailing.
Global Times, quoting a Chinese military expert, reports that while "aircraft carriers spend one-third of their time under maintenance, one-third of their time in training, and one-third of their time in deployment," having three of them together at sea suggests that at least one carrier group is game for a mission.