China Commissions Fujian, Its First EMALS-Equipped Homebuilt Aircraft Carrier

Overview

• The Fujian formally entered PLA service in a ceremony in Hainan attended by President Xi Jinping, who boarded the ship and received briefings on its systems.
• It is China’s first carrier fitted with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, a capability otherwise fielded only on the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford.
• The conventionally powered ship was fully designed and built in China, completed construction in 2022, and conducted sea trials that included publicly released J-35 flight operations in September.
• Defense analysts say the carrier will require years of testing and training before attaining full combat effectiveness and argue multiple ships of this class would be needed to alter regional power dynamics.
• With Fujian, China now operates three aircraft carriers, placing it second by fleet count behind the United States, while reports of a fourth Chinese carrier remain unconfirmed.