First photos of Liaoning battle group made public

The Chinese navy released on Wednesday the first photographs of what many military observers believe is the Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group as the nation's first aircraft carrier returned to its homeport of Qingdao, Shandong province.

The photos show the Liaoning sailing with several battleships, submarines and military aircraft performing a series of drills. The navy did not disclose when and where they were taken.

The carrier had successfully carried out 37 days of tests and training exercises in the South China Sea and returned to a People's Liberation Army's naval base in Qingdao, the navy said in a statement released on Wednesday.