China
on Sunday said it has successfully landed a fighter jet on its first aircraft
carrier, a move that would help project its growing military might amid
simmering maritime disputes with some of its key neighbours.
The
successful flight landing on the ‘Liaoning’ aircraft carrier also marked the
debut of J-15 as China’s first generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter
jet, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy said. State-run CCTV showed footage
of the new J-15 fighter landing on the carrier and taking off.
After
its delivery to the PLA Navy on September 25, the Liaoning has undergone a
series of sailing and technological tests, including the flight of the
carrier-borne J-15, the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted a defence ministry
statement as saying.
“Capabilities
of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all requirements
and achieving good compatibility,” the PLA Navy said.
China
says the Liaoning will help “effectively protect national sovereignty, security
and development interests”. “The successful landing... has always been seen as
a symbol of the operating combat capability for an aircraft carrier,” Zhang
Junshe, a vice-director at the Naval Affairs Research Institute, told state
television.
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