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2h ago

China Commissions EMALS Carrier Fujian, Expanding Blue-Water Ambitions

The conventionally powered ship showcases electromagnetic catapults that enable heavier aircraft launches.

China's third aircraft carrier, CNS Fujian, holds a commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony at a naval port in Sanya, Hainan province, on November 5, 2025.
The CV-18 Fujian seen during the commissioning ceremony, showing the newly painted ‘18’ on its deck. (Image credit: CCTV)
Aircraft carrier Fujian at her commissioning ceremony on November 5, 2025 in Sanya, together with carrier Shandong and a Type 075 LHD in the background. Image Chinese state media.

Overview

  • Chinese state media said Xi Jinping presided over the Nov. 5 commissioning ceremony at Sanya on Hainan island, formally bringing the Fujian into service.
  • Fujian is China’s third carrier and the first it both designed and built, and it is only the second carrier in the world to field an electromagnetic launch system after the USS Gerald R. Ford.
  • Sea trials featured EMALS launches of the J-35 stealth fighter, the J-15T, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, a combination analysts say extends China’s reach deeper into the Pacific.
  • The 80,000-ton, non‑nuclear ship must refuel at sea or in port, and former U.S. carrier officers say its deck layout could limit sortie tempo compared with U.S. supercarriers.
  • Japan voiced concern over China’s rapid, opaque military buildup, and reports indicate Beijing is building a fourth carrier that is expected to be nuclear‑powered.