Why Chinese navy still trails the US in high-stakes game of underwater aircraft recovery

China’s navy still lacks the advanced underwater equipment and operational readiness needed to effectively conduct salvage operations in the event of a carrier-based aircraft crash, a military magazine tied to the country’s largest state-owned shipbuilder has warned.According to an analysis published this month, Beijing risks exposing sensitive military technology if a carrier-borne aircraft crashes and the PLA Navy fails to secure or salvage the wreckage before rival forces reach the site.“After a military aircraft crashes at sea, its wreckage often contains important clues for researchers to reference,” noted the article in Shipborne Weapons, a publication affiliated with China-state-shipbuilding-corporation" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="15044" data-entity-type="organization">China State Shipbuilding Corporation, a major supplier to the navy.“Military aircraft also often carry important classified weapons and avionics information from various countries, which may be reverse-analysed by enemy nations,” it warned.The article portrayed the risks as particularly high because the ongoing construction of advanced carriers was expected to extend the PLA Navy’s operational range far beyond China’s coastal waters.An F/A-18F Super Hornet, the type of fighter jet that American rescue forces recovered after a crash in the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea in October 2025. Photo: US NavyCiting a post by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, the article noted that China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which officially entered service last November, was expected to sail to the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea, the western Pacific Ocean and possibly further afield.