China Flexes New Aircraft Carrier Muscles

10/05/2024

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has completed the first sea trial as Beijing flexes naval power against its neighbors.

“CNS Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, finished its maiden sea trial and returned to a shipyard in Shanghai on Wednesday afternoon, the People’s Liberation Army Navy said in a brief news release,” Chinese state-owned newspaper China Daily reported on May 9.

The Fujian had recently departed from Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard for its first sea trial.

“At about 8 o’clock on May 1, China’s third aircraft carrier Fujian unmoored from the dock of Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard and set sail for the relevant waters to conduct its first navigation test,” Chinese state media outlet The Paper reported on May 1.

The Fujian’s sea trial took place as the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons at the Philippines Coast Guard near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in the past weeks. The new Chinese carrier’s sea trial also coincides with the joint U.S.-Philippines military exercises called “Balikatan.”

The newly developed vessel is technologically advanced beyond the country’s two existing aircraft carriers, both of Soviet design.

Equipped with cutting-edge technologies that leapfrog generations, it represents a significant stride in China’s military modernization efforts. This introduction is emblematic of the swift modernization of the armed forces under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Xi aims for China to assert dominance in Asia through a military modernization program with a deadline set for 2027.

Unlike the Liaoning, an upgraded Soviet-era craft, the Fujian boasts an electromagnetic CATOBAR system, enabling the launch of more advanced aircraft with greater frequency. This system marks a striking advancement over China’s first two aircraft carriers, which rely on less advanced ski jump-style short take-off, barrier-arrested recovery (STOBAR) systems.

The Shandong, China’s first domestically built carrier, underwent nine sea trials before being commissioned in December 2019. The Fujian’s development underscores China’s commitment to modernizing its navy and projecting power in the region.

china flexes new aircraft carrier muscles

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is seen conducting its first sea trial, according to a broadcast by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA Navy) on May 8, 2024. The Fujian returned to Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard after completing the first sea trial, according to Xinhua News Agency. PLA Navy

The Fujian’s catapults are powered by an electromagnetic system similar to that of the U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, representing a leapfrogging past more conventional steam-powered catapults. With a displacement of roughly 80,000 tonnes, the Fujian is larger than its predecessors—the Liaoning at 60,000 tonnes and the Shandong at 66,000 tonnes.

However, it is smaller than the U.S. Navy’s Ford-class carrier at 100,000 tonnes.

The Fujian, officially classified as a Type 003, despite its technological advancements, is still conventionally powered rather than nuclear propulsion, a feature used by American carriers.

The increased size of the Fujian enables it to support a more robust airwing. It is also considerably larger than France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier at 42,000 tonnes and the United Kingdom’s HMS Queen Elizabeth at 65,000 tonnes.

Officially launched in June 2022, the Fujian has been going through mooring tests at Shanghai’s Jingnan shipyard, located on Changxing Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

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