China’s Latest Carrier Getting Near To Service Entry

China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, could be commissioned and operational later this year. First launched in 2022, the 80,000-metric-ton ship began sea trials in 2024 and is currently undergoing its seventh sea trial sortie. According to an article in the China/Military section of the myNews website, observations that the ship did not have large aircraft on the flat deck when it departed suggest that this trial might include fixed-wing jet fighter tests of its electromagnetic catapult technology and arresting cables.

China’s two in-service carriers, the Liaoning (refitted from an incomplete Russian Kuznetsov-class vessel acquired from Ukraine) and the Shandong, are equipped with steam catapults and “ski-jump” decks. The Fujian electromagnetic system enables faster launch and recovery operations and are more energy-efficient and flexible. The U.S. Navy carrier USS Gerald Ford is the only other carrier in the world with an electromagnetic system.

Experts anticipate that the flight testing on the current sea trials will include China’s J-15T and J-35B combat aircraft, seagoing variants of the J-15 and J-35 that incorporate catapult and arresting gear hardware.