China Aircraft Carrier Group Assembling Quietly

Escort ships for China's first aircraft carrier, the 'Liaoning', are quietly assembling at Qingdao Harbor & are expected to sail soon.

Citing the Hong Kong-based Chinese-language newspaper 'Wen Wei Po' Focus Taiwan reports that the carrier battle group might comprise the Liaoning, four type 052C or 052D destroyers, two type 052B destroyers, two to four type 054A escort ships, one or two type 093 nuclear submarines and one supply ship.

The report also said the Liaoning battle group's capacity could well overwhelm light carrier formations and non-carrier surface ship formations such as Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. But the report also indicated that currently, the carrier group still suffers the drawbacks of insufficient capacity of its escort ships, insufficient capacity of its equipped weapons and low capacity of its supply ships.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel