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19m ago

China Commissions EMALS-Equipped Supercarrier Fujian in Xi-Led Ceremony

State media say the EMALS-equipped vessel marks a step toward sustained operations farther from China’s coast.

Visitors look at a model of the Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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China's third conventionally powered aircraft carrier, the Fujian, conducts a maiden sea trial on May 7, 2024.

Overview

  • Xi Jinping presided over the Nov. 5 commissioning at Sanya on Hainan island, with the announcement carried by Xinhua on Friday.
  • The Fujian is China’s third carrier and the first it both designed and built, joining Liaoning and Shandong under PLAN command.
  • Electromagnetic catapults and a flat deck enable launches of heavier, fully fueled aircraft such as the KJ-600 early-warning plane, with trials also featuring the J-35 and J-15T.
  • The conventionally powered ship has endurance limits versus U.S. nuclear carriers, and former U.S. carrier officers have flagged a deck layout that could constrain sortie rates.
  • Displacing more than 80,000 tons, Fujian is estimated to carry about 40–60 aircraft; analysts expect a multi-year workup to full combat readiness, and a nuclear-powered follow-on is discussed but not confirmed.