Latest news with #J15
South China Morning Post
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
‘Cool' officers on Chinese aircraft carrier impress Hong Kong visitors
Naval officers on China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, were popular photo subjects for Hong Kong residents enjoying a rare opportunity to sing and dance with them on the second and final day of the warship's public opening on Sunday. Advertisement Visitors queued up to capture on camera the sheer scale of the 70,000-tonne carrier, with its distinctive 'ski jump' ramp, fighter jets, likely to be J-15s, and helicopters, and to seize the chance to meet and interact with officers. 'The deck was absolutely buzzing with excitement. There was a massive singalong and you could even dance with the naval officers,' said Dong Xiaoyang, a user of the Chinese social media platform RedNote. 'You got a full, close-up view of both the J-15 and J-15T jets – I heard you can't even get this close at air shows. 'And the naval officers on board were incredibly cool. They were all happy to take photos with us, which was such a rare opportunity. I seriously made sure to get a picture with almost every one of them.' A fighter jet is the backdrop for a visitor's photo with a crew member. Photo: Xinhua Another RedNote user, Da Bonjour, took photos with several crew members and expressed gratitude for their efforts in sweltering temperatures over the past few days.
South China Morning Post
05-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Aircraft carrier ‘rainbow-men' add splash of colour to Hong Kong pupils' visit
Crew members from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong have introduced the colourful roles of 'deck rainbow-men' to more than 300 pupils at the PLA Stonecutters Island naval base in Hong Kong, prompting some to say a military career is inspiring. Advertisement On the second day of the PLA Navy's Shandong carrier group's visit to Hong Kong, seven crew members explained their roles to pupils, teachers and youth uniformed groups through a lively lecture on Friday. To help coordinate hundreds of personnel on the carrier's flight deck, crew members wear colour-coded vests – white, green, brown, purple, red, yellow and blue – each denoting a different role, 'resembling a rainbow between sea and sky'. Lieutenant Gao Xiang, a green rainbow-man responsible for guiding fighter jet launches, said: 'This is my first time giving a defence lecture in Hong Kong, and it feels highly rewarding. Such interactions help young people absorb knowledge better, and I believe there will be plenty more opportunities in future.' Students pose for a group photo during their visit to the Shandong on Friday. Photo: Xinhua He said that, much like road traffic rules, a jet could only zip down the deck after the green rainbow-man gave the 'carrier-style' take-off gesture – a dramatic crouched pose with an arm pointing forward – which went viral online in 2012 after China's first successful launch of a J-15 fighter on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong draws crowds in first HK visit
The Shandong passed through Hong Kong waters before anchoring on the western edge of Victoria Harbour. (AP pic) HONG KONG : China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong waters today in its first visit to the Asian financial hub, accompanied by three People's Liberation Army vessels including missile destroyers. The five-day visit, coming soon after Hong Kong marked the 28th anniversary of its return from British to Chinese rule, is one of the biggest shows of Chinese military force in Hong Kong in recent years. China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was rebuilt from a decommissioned Soviet naval vessel and visited Hong Kong in 2017. Last month, both these Chinese ships had conducted the first known dual aircraft carrier operation in the Pacific, in what senior Taiwanese and Japanese officials said signified China's expansionist aims beyond its borders. Stretching 315m in length and weighing up to 70,000 tonnes, the Shandong passed through Hong Kong waters before anchoring on the western edge of Victoria Harbour with J-15 fighter jets and Z-18 helicopters on its flight deck. The Chinese missile destroyer Zhanjiang and the missile frigate Yuncheng docked at a PLA naval base on Stonecutter's Island, according to the official Xinhua news agency. The tradition of Hong Kong hosting some of the world's most advanced warships extends back to the decades before 1997, when the city returned to Chinese rule. It was once one of the most popular destinations in Asia for US navy port visits. After 1997, China still allowed some US navy ships to visit, including aircraft carriers like the USS Kitty Hawk in 2008, USS Nimitz in 2010, and USS Ronald Reagan in 2018, but as geopolitical tensions grew, these US port visits became rarer and were eventually blocked altogether by Beijing. Hong Kong leader John Lee welcomed the Chinese strike group, noting that thousands of public tickets to visit the flotilla had been snapped up. Lee said the public could 'gain a deeper understanding of the achievements in (China's) national defence modernisation'. Some spectators gathered along the shoreline with binoculars and zoom lenses to catch a distant glimpse of the ships. 'To see this kind of development, where within 20 to 40 years it has progressed to the current level, is very impressive,' said Richard Yip, who travelled from his hometown of Dongguan in southern China's Guangdong province. 'Not every country can achieve this.'
Al Jazeera
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Japan protests to China after ‘dangerous' moves by warplanes over Pacific
Japan has protested to Beijing over what was described as Chinese fighter jets' 'near-miss' manoeuvres near Japanese maritime patrol planes over the Pacific where China's two operational aircraft carriers were spotted deployed simultaneously for the first time last weekend. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday that a Chinese J-15 warplane from the Shandong aircraft carrier flew within 45 metres (147 feet) of a Japanese P-3C maritime surveillance plane and made other 'dangerous manoeuvres' during incidents on Saturday and Sunday. 'We have expressed serious concern to the Chinese side and solemnly requested prevention of recurrence,' Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. According to Japan's defence ministry, P-3C aircraft, belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force based on the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific when they encountered Chinese warplanes. On Saturday, a J-15 from the Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes. Then, on Sunday, a J-15 fighter chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900 metres (2,952 feet), the ministry said. 'Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions,' the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, attaching close-up images of the J-15 jet it took on Sunday. There was no damage to the Japanese planes or harm caused to the aircraft crew, the ministry added. Hayashi, the top Japanese government spokesperson, said Tokyo will maintain communications with Beijing at various levels and will also ensure the monitoring of airspace around Japan's territories continues. The last time a similar incident was reported was more than a decade ago in May and June 2014, when Chinese Su-27 fighter jets flew within 30 metres (98 feet) of Japan's military planes. The Kyodo news agency also reported that the Shandong aircraft carrier conducted takeoff and landing drills on Monday to the north of Japan's southernmost Okinotori Island, inside the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Liaoning carrier was also spotted inside the EEZ on Saturday before moving outside the zone where it also conducted takeoffs and landings on Sunday.
Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese patrol planes
A J-15 Chinese fighter jet takes off from the Shandong aircraft carrier. (AP pic) TOKYO : Chinese fighter jets flew unusually close to Japanese military patrol planes over the weekend as two Chinese aircraft carriers operated in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's defence ministry said late on Wednesday. On Saturday, a Chinese J-15 jet from the aircraft carrier Shandong chased a Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft for about 40 minutes, the ministry said. On Sunday, a J-15 chased a P-3C for 80 minutes, crossing in front of the Japanese aircraft at a distance of only 900m, it said. At one point on both days, a Chinese J-15 flew as close as 45m to a Japanese aircraft, the ministry said. The P-3C aircraft, belonging to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force based in the island of Okinawa, were conducting surveillance over international waters in the Pacific, the ministry said. 'Such abnormal approaches by Chinese military aircraft could potentially cause accidental collisions, and we have expressed serious concern and strongly requested prevention of recurrence,' the ministry said, attaching close-up images of the J-15 jet it took on Sunday. Earlier this week, Tokyo said the Shandong and another Chinese carrier the Liaoning were conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, describing it as a move signifying Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders. Beijing on Tuesday said the operations were a 'routine training' exercise that did not target specific countries. In 2014, Tokyo said it spotted Chinese military aircraft flying as close as 30 metres to its military aircraft over the East China Sea and protested to Beijing.
