Analysis of the Chinese Navy’s Carrier Strike Group Development and System Architecture

1. Definition and Structural Logic of Carrier Strike Groups

A Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is a comprehensive maritime combat cluster centered around an aircraft carrier, comprising various surface vessels, underwater assets, and naval aviation. Its core objective is to integrate aerial strike capabilities, regional air defense, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and logistical support into a single mobile formation, enabling sea control, airspace dominance, and power projection.

A typical, fully structured CSG consists of the following layers:

Core Layer: The Aircraft Carrier. Functioning as a mobile airfield and command center, the carrier handles the takeoff, landing, maintenance, and ammunition resupply of carrier-based aircraft. Its displacement, flight deck layout, and launch mechanism directly determine the type, quantity, and sortie generation rate of its air wing.

Escort Layer: Destroyers and Frigates. Destroyers serve as the backbone of mid-to-long-range defense, equipped with phased-array radars and vertical launch systems (VLS) for area air defense, anti-surface warfare, and land-attack missions. Frigates complement them by focusing on short-to-medium-range air defense, ASW, and routine screening.

Underwater Layer: Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarines. Deployed ahead or on the flanks of the formation, these submarines provide ASW screening, underwater situational awareness, and covert strike capabilities against enemy surface vessels.

Support Layer: Fast Combat Support Ships. Sustained far-sea deployment requires continuous supplies of fuel, ammunition, food, and spare parts. Comprehensive supply ships significantly extend the CSG’s operational endurance through underway replenishment.

Aviation Layer: Fighter Jets, Early Warning Aircraft, ASW Helicopters, and Electronic Warfare Aircraft. The air wing is the primary strike and reconnaissance asset of the CSG. Its performance and sortie rate dictate the upper limit of the strike group’s combat effectiveness.

It is important to note that a CSG is not a fixed entity. It dynamically adjusts its composition based on mission requirements, threat environments, and maritime conditions. For routine far-sea training, a CSG might consist of one carrier and four to six escorts. In high-intensity exercises, the formation expands to include multiple destroyers, frigates, and submarines to create a denser, more balanced combat array.

2. From Single Ship to Strike Group: Three Milestones of Chinese Carrier Development

The Chinese Navy’s carrier program has evolved from technological absorption to fully independent construction, marking a clear path toward systematic CSG development.

2.1 Liaoning: The Starting Point for Research and Tactical Exploration

Commissioned on September 25, 2012, the Liaoning marked the Chinese Navy’s entry into the carrier era. Initially positioned as a research and training platform rather than a pure combat vessel, it completed over a hundred test missions, including ski-jump takeoffs, arrested landings, and flight deck operations optimization.

On November 23, 2012, the J-15 fighter successfully completed its first arrested landing, signifying the mastery of core carrier aviation technologies. Subsequently, an independent pilot training pipeline was established. In late 2016, the Liaoning CSG crossed the First Island Chain for Western Pacific exercises, demonstrating basic capabilities for cross-theater mobility and oceanic deployment.

2.2 Shandong: Indigenous Construction and Capability Leap

Launched in April 2017 and commissioned in December 2019, the Shandong is China’s first domestically built carrier. Optimized from the Liaoning’s design, it features improvements in the island structure, radar electronics, and aviation support facilities, resulting in increased aircraft capacity and higher deck operational efficiency.

The Shandong’s commissioning drove the transition from “single-ship training” to “strike group system training.” Exercises conducted in the South China Sea and through the Taiwan Strait validated cooperative combat workflows between the carrier and its escorts, including air defense positioning, ASW search grids, and joint air-surface strikes.

2.3 Fujian: Electromagnetic Launch and Flat-Top Deck Innovation

Launched in June 2022, the Fujian ushered China into the “three-carrier era.” With a full-load displacement of approximately 80,000 tons, it is the largest carrier outside the United States. It utilizes a flat-top flight deck and an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), a fundamental departure from the ski-jump configurations of its predecessors.

EMALS provides revolutionary improvements in two areas: launch efficiency is significantly increased, enabling heavy-payload aircraft like fixed-wing early warning planes to operate; and the overall sortie generation rate is markedly improved. The Fujian has successfully conducted electromagnetic launch tests with new aircraft like the J-15T and J-35, verifying system compatibility and reliability.

3. Evolution of Training Systems: From Single to Dual-Carrier Operations

Generating CSG combat capability requires progressive stages of training, from basic single-ship operations to complex multi-group joint exercises. Recent trends indicate accelerated training frequencies, expanded maritime zones, and increased operational intensity.

The year 2024 marked a critical turning point. The integration of the Type 055 destroyer Nanchang into the carrier screen validated new operational models between advanced surface combatants and the carrier. In October of the same year, the Liaoning and Shandong conducted the Navy’s first dual-carrier group exercise. This was not a simple numerical addition of two carriers, but a complex combat system requiring deep integration of command and control, air traffic management, underway replenishment, and defensive coordination.

In 2025, dual-carrier operations moved toward normalization. Following a port call, the Shandong and Liaoning groups deployed to the Western Pacific for high-intensity, realistic combat training. These operations spanned multiple maritime regions, testing the CSGs’ endurance, adaptability across varied hydrological environments, and comprehensive combat capabilities.

The core training objectives of the dual-carrier exercises now cover:

• Joint Air Defense: Destroyers and frigates collaboratively building layered defense networks to detect, track, and intercept incoming missiles and aircraft.
• Anti-Surface/Land-Attack: Carrier-based fighters and escorts conducting simulated strikes against maritime target clusters and onshore installations.
• Anti-Submarine Warfare: Nuclear submarines, ASW helicopters, and surface combatants conducting joint underwater search and tracking operations.
• Far-Sea Replenishment: Underway replenishment between supply ships, carriers, and escorts to sustain continuous combat operations.
• Command and Information Coordination: Validating data link interoperability, command authority handovers, and battlespace awareness sharing within the CSG and with other military branches.

4. Technological Foundations and Equipment System Support

CSG combat capability relies on a comprehensive technological ecosystem. Currently, several dimensions form the critical support structure for these strike groups:

4.1 Multi-Tiered Carrier-Based Aviation System

Modern CSGs face multi-domain threats, necessitating a diverse air wing. The Chinese Navy’s carrier aviation has developed a clear, multi-tiered structure: J-15 series fighters for air superiority and anti-surface strikes; J-35 stealth fighters to enhance penetration capabilities; fixed-wing early warning aircraft for situational awareness and command relay; and ASW and transport helicopters for screening and logistics. This configuration is evolving toward a comprehensive air wing comprising stealth fighters, fixed-wing early warning aircraft, electronic warfare jets, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

4.2 Area Air Defense and ASW Capabilities of Escorts

Escorts serve as critical nodes in the CSG’s defense architecture rather than simple bodyguards. Destroyers equipped with phased-array radars and VLS can simultaneously track and engage multiple aerial targets, providing robust long-range air defense. Concurrently, their hull-mounted sonars, ASW missiles, and torpedoes form an integrated sub-surface defense chain.

4.1 Integrated Command and Information Systems

The efficient operation of a CSG depends on integrated command information systems. Data links between platforms enable rapid sensor-to-shooter kill chains. In dual-carrier operations, the coordination of air control, navigation, and strike synchronization between two floating airbases places exceptionally high demands on these information systems.

5. Strategic Value and Future Trends

Strategically, a CSG is more than a naval force structure; it is a core vehicle for projecting military power and securing maritime interests. For the Chinese Navy, CSG development holds three key implications:

First, it expands the Navy’s strategic defense depth, allowing early warning, patrol, and deterrence missions to extend from coastal waters to the open ocean.

Second, it enhences maritime power projection. The mobility and endurance of CSGs enable sustained operations far from home shores, supporting the security of sea lanes and overseas interests.

Third, it drives the modernization of the overall naval combat system. The demanding requirements of carrier operations have catalyzed the upgrade and replacement of destroyers, frigates, submarines, supply ships, and aircraft, resulting in a structural leap in comprehensive naval capabilities.

Looking forward, as the Fujian achieves initial operational capability, Chinese CSGs will accelerate their evolution toward larger scales, stealth integration, and unmanned systems. The mass deployment of carrier-based UAVs, fixed-wing early warning aircraft, and stealth fighters will significantly enhance strike group situational awareness and combat effectiveness. Furthermore, joint exercises involving dual-carrier or even three-carrier formations will continue to build practical experience in far-sea, joint operational warfare.

Conclusion

The development trajectory of the Chinese Navy’s Carrier Strike Groups represents a progressive path from technological catch-up and equipment accumulation to systematic innovation. From the Liaoning’s research phase to the Shandong’s indigenous construction and the Fujian’s electromagnetic launch breakthrough, each milestone corresponds to a leap in operational capability. Moving forward, as training becomes more combat-oriented, equipment more advanced, and command systems more integrated, CSGs will play an increasingly critical role in far-sea defense operations. Understanding the structural logic and development path of these strike groups provides essential insights into the evolving nature of modern naval warfare.