Source: World Wide Web
Recently, four aircraft carriers and quasi-aircraft carriers (amphibious assault ships) of the US Navy have assembled in the Western Pacific, three of which are equipped with F-35 carrier-based aircraft. The US media reported that "more than two dozen F-35s are being deployed in the Western Pacific" and mentioned that the deployment "coincides with the tension between China and the United States." Why did the U.S. military send a number of large warships and a large number of stealth fighters to assemble in the Western Pacific at this time? Its movements deserve vigilance.
Screenshot of the U.S. Naval Research Institute (USNI) website
The U.S. Naval Research Institute (USNI) website reported jan. 19 that more than 20 F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are currently deploying on U.S. Navy ships in the Indo-Pacific region at a time of tensions between the United States and China.
The U.S. Navy's USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier currently carries 10 F-35C fighters from the U.S. Navy's 147th Carrier-Based Aircraft Squadron, while the USS Lincoln carrier carries 10 F-35C fighters from the U.S. Marine Corps' 314th Combat Attack Squadron. Meanwhile, multiple U.S. Marine Corps F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing fighter jets are being deployed aboard the USS American Amphibious Assault Ship. While the U.S. Marine Corps did not provide the exact number of carrier-based aircraft on board the amphibious assault ship, the photos showed that at least five F-35Bs aboard the USS America.
F-35C fighter jets take off from the USS Carl Vinson
The report mentioned that these three aviation units are the largest F-35 fighter deployment operation of the US maritime power to date, and the United States and the United Kingdom deployed 18 F-35B fighters on the "Queen Elizabeth" aircraft carrier last year. According to the latest news, as of Jan. 18, the U.S. Navy's two aircraft carriers and two amphibious assault ships were operating in the Philippine Sea. In addition, according to the information released by the US Seventh Fleet, the "Carl Vinson" aircraft carrier battle group and the "Essex" amphibious guard group recently conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea.
The report also said that just as the fifth generation of U.S. fighter jets was assembling in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Navy also began to deploy new hybrid carrier-based aircraft forces. The USS Carl Vinson carried both the F-35C carrier-based fighter jet and the CMV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The Marine Ship Combat Attack Squadron deployed on the USS Lincoln was the service's first F-35C carrier-based aircraft squadron.
The USNI website also released the latest US Navy fleet tracking diagram on January 18, and from the annotations in the figure, you can intuitively feel the density of US Navy aircraft carriers and quasi-aircraft carriers in the West Pacific.
In view of the US military's activities in China's vicinity, a Spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly said that some countries outside the region, proceeding from their own selfish interests, have frequently hyped up issues related to the East china sea and the South China Sea, and even sent large-scale advanced warships and aircraft into relevant waters to promote militarization and threaten regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes this and urges relevant countries to clearly understand the mainstream and general trend of regional development and respect the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability in relevant maritime areas. (Reporter Xu Luming)
(Source: World Wide Web)