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Radar targeting between J-15s and F-15s near Okinawa is raising questions about whether Japan is capable of confronting a Chinese carrier strike group.

New signs of confrontation

On December 7, the Chinese Navy's Liaoning carrier strike group entered a training phase in the Pacific Ocean after passing through waters near Okinawa, marking its return to this sensitive area after months of absence.

What particularly worried Tokyo was that on December 6, J-15 fighters on board the Liaoning twice locked their radar onto F-15s of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) while flying over international waters, an unprecedented move in the history of relations between the two countries.

[Image caption: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and destroyer Escourt.] Image: Military Watch

These developments are taking place amidst escalating tensions following statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan.

The appearance of the aircraft carrier Liaoning near Japan is not uncommon, but the scale and frequency of this carrier strike group's operations have drawn significant attention from analysts.

In the past, Liaoning demonstrated its rapid deployment capabilities with over 100 sorties near Okinawa in 2022, while its sister carrier Shandong also led large-scale exercises near Guam in 2023.

This time, escorting the Liaoning is the Type 055 Nanchang destroyer – a class of warship considered by many Western experts to be the most powerful in the world today – along with two Type 052D destroyers, hull numbers 117 and 124, forming a highly deterrent escort formation.

Type 055-class destroyer. Photo: Military Watch

Type 055

With a displacement of over 12,000 tons and a design optimized for modern warfare, the Type 055 is described by the British IISS Institute as a "leap forward" that allows the Chinese Navy to maintain independent deployment at long distances. More notably, in April 2022, a Type 055 ship conducted its first test launch of the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile, considered the world's most dangerous weapon against any surface fleet, including aircraft carriers.

The key to the Type 055's power lies in its system of 112 vertical launch tubes capable of carrying multiple classes of anti-aircraft missiles, including the HHQ-9B with a range of 300 km.

These warships utilize dual-band radar similar to the equipment previously tested unsuccessfully by the US Navy for the Zumwalt class, giving the carrier strike group the ability to detect targets beyond the horizon and track multiple targets with very high accuracy.

When combined with the stealth-optimized radar on the Type 052D, the escort group forms a “floating sensor network” capable of covering a vast operational area around the aircraft carrier.

[Image caption: Japanese F-15DJ fighter jet. Photo: Military Watch]

This combination becomes a key factor when considering the ability to counter the Japanese air force. Currently, the JASDF still relies primarily on F-15 variants from the 1980s and an aging F-2 fleet, while Japan's F-35A, although modern, is limited and insufficient to maintain absolute superiority in multiple directions simultaneously.

New Cards on the Liaoning Carrier

If the Type 055 is the shield, then the J-15B is the sword of the Liaoning. This upgraded variant carries a large AESA phased-array radar, estimated to have twice, or even three times, the surface area of ​​the radars on Japan's F-15J and F-35.

This allows the J-15B to detect and lock onto targets from a greater distance, creating an advantage in long-range combat – a crucial element in modern naval warfare.

A J-15 fighter jet taking off from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier. (Image: Military Watch)

The J-15B is also supported by the J-15D – an electronic warfare version with an active jamming system that can reduce the detectability of enemy radar, protecting the attack aircraft formation and putting F-15 squadrons at a clear disadvantage.

Operating within the protective umbrella of the Type 055 and Type 052D, the squadrons from the Liaoning are considered capable of competing, and even overwhelming in some situations, with Japanese fighter jets deployed across multiple fronts from Hokkaido to Okinawa.

[Image caption: J-15BT fighter jet and J-15D electronic attack aircraft. Photo: Military Watch]

The replacement of the older J-15 variants with the J-15B and J-15D in the last two years has created a strategic shift. With more powerful engines, greater payload capacity, and integrated communications systems, the J-15B has become the backbone, elevating the Liaoning's combat capabilities to a whole new level.

When combined with the Type 055 destroyer class, considered superior to even Japan's Aegis carriers, this carrier group creates a combat structure that allows China to control the airspace over the sea without getting too close to Japan's archipelago.