China’s secretive $9 billion warship has been spotted from space in the Pacific Ocean amid fears of WWIII.
The CNS Liaoning, the country’s first operational aircraft carrier, was captured by NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite while it was docked in the Bohai Sea and conducting sea trials.
The satellite images showed the Liaoning warship docked among other aircraft carriers at a shipyard, while a separate image showed it heading out to sea.
US Navy officials surveyed the warship and found that its deck is about 200 meters long and 41 meters wide, making it smaller than other Chinese carriers.
The images were taken days after US President Biden authorized Ukraine to use US missiles to attack China’s ally Russia, sparking fears that a global war is on the horizon.
China has become Russia’s largest trading partner following Western sanctions and now enjoys huge discounts on energy exports while supplying essential technology and consumer goods.
And in September, reports emerged that the two countries were stepping up their joint military exercises.
The US Landsat 8 satellite has captured images of the Chinese Navy’s newest warship (pictured) recently deployed in the Bohai Sea
The ship, pictured here, weighs about 60,000 tons and is part of China’s smaller naval aircraft carriers
The Chinese military has more than 370 warships and submarines in its fleet, making it the largest naval power in the world, and has been working to rapidly expand its fleet while keeping pace with U.S. aviation technology.
CNS Liaoning operated near Japan last year, armed with guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer, when it conducted flight operations with about 20 fighter launches and recoveries.
Reports also claimed that there were around 40 takeoffs and landings of the airline’s helicopters.
More recently, from September 20 to October 1, the CNS Liaoning performed flight operations with fighter planes and helicopters on aircraft carriers in the waters east of the Philippines and west of Guam.
Images have emerged of China’s Fujian ship (pictured), the largest in its naval arsenal, leaving its pier in the South China Sea on Monday
It is unclear which tests were conducted this week.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy also deployed its CNS Shandong aircraft carrier last week, which entered the South China Sea about 630 kilometers south of Miyako Island, according to the American Naval Institute.
The ship was tracked using satellite imagery and is believed to have made 10 launches and 10 helicopter takeoffs and landings.
The US has sent its own fleet of warships to the northwest coast of Luzon to monitor China’s ongoing operations and reported that the Liberation Army may be preparing to attack Japan.
Tensions between China and Japan have continued to rise due to concerns over close ties with the US.
The Chinese government has also claimed that Taiwan is its own territory, although the country has not outright declared its intention to invade Japan.
Earlier this month, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it was grateful that the US was sending ships to the region as reports of Chinese warships increased.
The press release stated: “As the security situation in the region continues to worsen, maintaining a robust U.S. Navy presence through the forward deployment of USS George Washington and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 is essential to Japan’s security . and maintaining regional peace and stability.”