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3w ago

China’s New Carrier Fujian Completes First At-Sea Training With Strike Group

Catapult launches by multiple aircraft types point to faster-than-expected progress toward operational capability.

The commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, is held at a naval port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, on Nov. 5, 2025. The Fujian was launched in June 2022 and named after Fujian Province. (Photo by Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Image
A United States RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft takes off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on May 8, 2019.
This photo, taken by a European Space Agency Sentinel-2 satellite, shows aircraft carriers the CNS Shandong, top, and CNS Fujian, bottom left, southwest of Yulin Naval Base, Hainan Province, on November 15, 2025.

Overview

  • The PLA said the Fujian-led group, including destroyer Yan'an and frigate Tongliao, recently returned to Sanya after its first live-force mission since the carrier’s November 5 commissioning.
  • Training featured electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoffs and arrested recoveries by J-15T, J-15DT, J-35, and KJ-600 aircraft, along with formation sailing and joint ship-air search-and-rescue drills.
  • European Sentinel-2 imagery on November 15 showed Fujian operating southwest of Yulin with carrier Shandong nearby, corroborating the at-sea workups before both ships returned to port.
  • Chinese state media described the event as a routine assessment of training effectiveness, while commentators said the pace suggests earlier deployments are possible though extended workups remain necessary.
  • Separately, flight-tracking data showed a U.S. Air Force RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft flying near Hainan, reflecting ongoing U.S. surveillance in the South China Sea after Fujian’s initial training.