China's Navy Takes Its First Dual Aircraft Carrier Operation Out for a Spin

This: China's navy, the world's largest, just did something brand new. They took two of their aircraft carriers out for a ride in the South China Sea. This isn't just any ordinary cruise, though. The navy was practicing how to work together with both carriers. The stars of the show were CNS Liaoning, China's first operational aircraft carrier, and CNS Shandong, the second one. They were joined by 13 warships and a group of fighter jets called Shenyang J-15As and J-15Bs, often called "flying sharks. " You might be wondering, why the South China Sea? Well, it's a bit of a hotspot, with China and some other countries having some disagreements over territory. Anyway, the navy wants its sailors to be the best they can be, so they're practicing how to fight together as a team. China has three aircraft carriers in total, with the newest, CNS Fujian, still waiting to be officially used. The U. S. , on the other hand, has 11 aircraft carriers, all powered by nuclear energy. China's carriers use traditional fuel. The Liaoning set sail from its home in Qingdao back in September. It sailed past Guam, an island that belongs to the U. S. , and then met up with the Shandong near Hainan Island. They practiced together and even sailed near Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. The Liaoning has now returned home, but we're not sure where the Shandong is. All this practice is happening as the U. S. and Japan are also having their own naval exercise nearby. It's like a big naval show-and-tell in the Western Pacific Ocean!