China Uses Vastly Expanded Recon Network to Support Aircraft Carrier Strike Group

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is conducting carrier operations in the western Pacific with potential intelligence and situational-awareness support from a range of reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. The deployment of the Liaoning carrier group, announced on October 14, has coincided with repeated Japanese reports of Chinese reconnaissance aircraft operating between the East China Sea and the Pacific. Chinese military analysts have suggested that these aircraft are likely to be supporting the carrier group by gathering intelligence and monitoring activity in the surrounding waters.

According to Japan’s Joint Staff, Chinese aircraft observed during this period have included the BZK-005 high-altitude reconnaissance drone, the TB-001 reconnaissance and strike drone, and Y-9 aircraft used for intelligence gathering and maritime patrol. Japanese authorities reported multiple flights through the Miyako Strait, which connects the East China Sea with the western Pacific, as well as activity near Okinawa and the waters surrounding the southwestern Japanese islands. The reported movements have occurred closely in tandem with the Liaoning group’s far-seas training deployment, with Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe having assessed that these could provide situational awareness and intelligence support for the carrier group. 

Zhang described the combination of platforms as part of a broader effort to develop an integrated reconnaissance and support network capable of improving information acquisition, operational responsiveness and coordination during distant-water operations. Such capabilities are particularly important for carrier groups operating far from their home bases, where persistent surveillance and timely intelligence can help commanders maintain awareness of surrounding military activity. Particular attention has also been directed towards the WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance UAV, which Chinese state media reported had been observed by Japanese aircraft. Military commentator Du Wenlong stated that the drone could operate at altitudes of approximately 19,000–20,000 metres, potentially allowing it to observe extensive areas and support intelligence collection and communications.

The Liaoning and its accompanying task group deployed to the western Pacific for a new round of training from October 14, continuing efforts to improve far seas operational capacities. The carrier was accompanied by a Type 075 helicopter carrier, two Type 055 destroyers, and a lighter Type 052D destroyers, alongside other smaller vessels. The Liaoning is one of the largest aircraft carriers outside the U.S. Navy, and has on multiple occasions demonstrated the ability to launch rapid sorties near major targets. In May 2022, for example, the Liaoning launched over 100 sorties near U.S. military facilities in Okinawa. The carrier was deployed for intense exercises from December 2025, with the warship’s air wing on December 7 having begun training flights in the Pacific Ocean, after the carrier task force passed through waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.