Like the newest US Navy Ford-class supercarriers, the Fujian uses an electromagnetic catapult launch system—leapfrogging the older steam catapults used by most of America’s flattops.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now officially has the distinction of being the world’s second-largest operator of aircraft carriers. Last week, it commissioned its third flattop—the Type 003 Fujian (18), its largest and second domestically-built carrier—at a flag-presenting ceremony at the Sanya Naval Base in Hainan Province, located on the South China Sea. China’s President Xi Jinping was in attendance, where he boarded and inspected the vessel, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The Fujian Is a True Chinese Supercarrier
Displacing more than 80,000 tons, the Type 003 Fujian is the largest warship built in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and it is also the first catapult-equipped carrier to enter service with the PLAN, greatly enhancing its naval aviation capabilities.
Unlike the PLAN’s two previous active carriers, the Type 001 Liaoning and Type 002 Shangdong, the Fujian was built with a flat flight deck. It also leapfrogged the United States Navy’s steam-powered catapults, instead employing electromagnetic catapults, which can increase the number of sorties that can be launched from the carrier. This technology can also allow for heavier fixed-wing manned aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to operate from the warship.
Currently, the US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the only other active carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. However, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is still not fully operational, and the US Navy doesn’t expect it to meet its stated goals until at least 2030.
The problem has become so severe that last month, President Donald Trump announced he would issue an executive order requiring the US Navy to revert to the more established, but less capable, steam catapults on its future carriers.
Military analysts have warned that such a reversal would require expensive retrofitting and result in further delays, as the flattops are now under construction. Trump had previously been critical of the improved technology during his first term.
China Is Working Hard to Close the “Carrier Gap”
With three carriers, the PLAN has surpassed both the UK’s Royal Navy and India, which currently operate two carriers, although rumors suggest that New Delhi may authorize the construction of a third carrier. Yet, no plans have materialized.
Even if that is the case, Xi has called for China to operate as many as six aircraft carriers by 2035 to expand its naval power, and a fourth is believed to now be under construction. Although building as many as three additional carriers (and possibly more if the older Type 001 is relegated to training) would be ambitious, analysts believe the goal could be achievable, yet very costly. That would allow it to significantly close the gap with the United States Navy, which operates 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers.
The PLAN has already surpassed the US Navy in overall number of warships, but many of these are small coastal vessels, capable of operating only in near-shore or littoral waters. This would generally be fine for China, as it is presumed that any future naval conflict between Washington and Beijing would principally be fought near China—particularly around Taiwan, an ongoing flashpoint in bilateral relations.
The expected air wing of the Type 003 could include the Shenyang J-15 and Shenyang J-35 fighters, the Xi’an KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a multitude of UAS. A recent video presented on Chinese state TV showed the carrier undergoing catapult launch tests with the various aircraft.
There had been speculation that the Fujian would have been formally commissioned earlier this year, possibly on October 1, which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic of China after the Chinese Civil War in 1949. However, Beijing was in no rush and likely wanted to ensure that the carrier would be ready for service.
Even as it is now formally in service with the PLAN, post-commissioning sea trials and additional tests will need to be conducted before the warship heads to sea for her maiden deployment.
“This is potentially a game changer for China but there are a lot of capabilities here they’ve still got to test and finesse—and that includes quite how they would best deploy it in a Taiwan conflict,” Collin Koh, defense scholar at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told Reuters.
Yet this month truly marks a great leap forward for Beijing and its carrier ambitions.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
