The next week will be extremely busy in Tokyo Bay! After the Liaoning aircraft carrier advanced deep into the area, U.S.-Japan early warning aircraft have all emerged in a rush.

On December 7th, it appeared that the Liaoning was steadily advancing toward the Japanese main island along the eastern sea area of Ryukyu, not a regular long-range training mission.

Accompanying the Liaoning are at least the 055-class 10,000-ton destroyer, the 052D-class destroyer, and the comprehensive supply ship, forming a complete long-range strike formation.

At almost the same time, the U.S. military stationed in Japan took off P-8A "Poseidon" anti-submarine patrol aircraft from Misawa base, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force also urgently launched E-767 large early warning aircraft, conducting intensive aerial surveillance along the line from Kanto to the Izu Islands. It seems both the U.S. and Japan have become unusually tense.

The route chosen by the Liaoning is very deliberate: instead of taking the conventional Miyako Strait southward into the Western Pacific, it has gone more northward, close to the edge of Japan's so-called Air Defense Identification Zone, directly heading for the offshore waters of Tokyo Bay.

This route has been extremely rare in recent years, indicating clear strategic probing. Faced with this situation, the U.S. and Japan could not sit idly by.

More notably, the "George H.W. Bush" aircraft carrier battle group has also been active in the Western Pacific recently. Although the official location has not been disclosed, there were eyewitness reports around December 7th showing that the MV-22 "Osprey" tiltrotor aircraft on board were seen about 200 nautical miles south of Tokyo.

If China's aircraft carrier approaches the Japanese mainland, both sides will immediately activate joint air alert, intelligence sharing, and even simulated interception procedures.

The P-8A excels in anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance, while the E-767 provides wide-area air situation command. Their cooperation can build a three-dimensional monitoring network covering hundreds of kilometers. This high-intensity aerial activity naturally makes the skies over Tokyo Bay "extremely busy."

The next week will certainly be very lively.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850923640954057/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.