China has now cemented its place as the world’s second-largest carrier force, just behind the US
CHINA has taken its naval power to new heights as it officially commissioned its biggest and most advanced aircraft carrier.
The Fujian, a 1,000ft and 80,000ton supercarrier was debuted in a high-profile ceremony attended by Xi Jinping.
It entered active service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on Wednesday on the island of Hainan in the South China Sea.
The move cements China‘s place as the world’s second-largest carrier force as Beijing aims to rival the US in naval supremacy.
The carrier’s name also brings a pointed message.
Fujian is also the name of the province directly across from Taiwan – just 80 miles wide at its narrowest point – making the ship’s christening a symbolic statement of China’s claim over the self-governing island.
The Fujian is the PLAN’s third carrier and its first fully home-designed supercarrier, following the Liaoning and Shandong.
Its induction marks the biggest leap yet in China’s naval modernisation drive.
Xi personally decided that the Fujian would adopt the electromagnetic catapult system, state media reported.
More than 2,000 personnel from the navy and the ship’s construction teams were present at the commissioning, which state outlet Xinhua described as “grand and enthusiastic.”
After the ceremony, Xi boarded the Fujian, inspecting its flight operations centre and signing the ship’s logbook as a symbolic gesture of command.
The Fujian is the first Chinese carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, allowing it to launch heavier, more advance aircraft.
These include the J-35 stealth fighter, J-15T multirole jet, and KJ-600 early-warning plane.
That makes the PLAN only the second navy in the world after the US to field EM catapult technology.
Experts say the system allows faster, more efficient aircraft launches while reducing stress on both planes and the ship.
But unlike America’s nuclear-powered carriers, the Fujian still relies on conventional propulsion, giving it a limited range of 8,000–10,000 nautical miles.
The Fujian’s EMALS launch system puts it in direct competition with the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest carrier and the only other vessel in the world using the same technology.
The Chinese ship has three catapults and two aircraft elevators, compared with the Ford’s four catapults and three lifts – a setup analysts say gives the American ship faster sortie rates.
The ship’s full-load displacement exceeds 80,000 tons, making it smaller than the 100,000-ton USS Gerald R. Ford, but way larger than its predecessors.
These include the J-35 stealth fighter, J-15T multirole jet, and KJ-600 early-warning plane.
That makes the PLAN only the second navy in the world after the US to field EM catapult technology.
Experts say the system allows faster, more efficient aircraft launches while reducing stress on both planes and the ship.
But unlike America’s nuclear-powered carriers, the Fujian still relies on conventional propulsion, giving it a limited range of 8,000–10,000 nautical miles.
The Fujian’s EMALS launch system puts it in direct competition with the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest carrier and the only other vessel in the world using the same technology.
The Chinese ship has three catapults and two aircraft elevators, compared with the Ford’s four catapults and three lifts – a setup analysts say gives the American ship faster sortie rates.
The ship’s full-load displacement exceeds 80,000 tons, making it smaller than the 100,000-ton USS Gerald R. Ford, but way larger than its predecessors.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15456284/china-biggest-aircraft-carrier-fujian-taiwan