(CAO) China’s newest, largest and most modern aircraft carrier, the Fujian, took a big step toward joining the naval fleet on April 30 when it departed from Shanghai to conduct its first sea trial.
According to the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, the navy’s review is expected to take place in the East China Sea, about 130 meters from the Jiangnan shipyard where the carrier has been under construction for more than six years. kilometer.
“The sea trials will mainly test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier’s electrical and propulsion systems,” a statement from state news agency Xinhua said on April 30.
The warship was launched in 2022 and has “completed mooring, outfitting and equipment adjustment tests” ahead of its latest sea trials, Xinhua said.
With a displacement of 80,000 tons, the Fujian dwarfs the two active aircraft carriers of the Chinese navy, the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning. Only the US Navy operates carriers larger than the Fujian.
“The Fujian sea trials mark a major milestone for the Chinese navy, marking its entry into the club,” said John Bradford, a member of the International Council on Foreign Relations. countries with navies with first-class carrier aviation capabilities.”
Fujian’s main feature is its electromagnetic catapult system, which allows it to launch larger and heavier aircraft than the Shandong and Liaoning, which use ski-jump launch methods.
Fujian aircraft carrier – Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Analysts say the Fujian’s ability to launch larger fighters carrying larger munitions over longer distances will give the carrier a greater combat range than its predecessors in the Chinese fleet, giving the country’s navy the ability to operate in distant waters.
“These at-sea tests mark the first significant step in China’s development of the ability to project sea-based air power into deep ocean areas,” said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.
The electromagnetic catapult system puts the Fujian on par with the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, the only active aircraft carrier in the world with an electromagnetic catapult system. The United States Navy’s 10 older Nimitz-class aircraft carriers rely on steam-powered catapults to launch aircraft.
However, all American carriers will have two main advantages over the Fujian: power and size.
US aircraft carriers run on nuclear power, giving them the ability to stay at sea as long as their crews are qualified, while the Fujian runs on conventional fuel, meaning it must call port or meet tankers at sea to refuel.
In terms of size, the US Navy ships have a 100,000-ton displacement advantage over the Fujian, with the Ford displacing 100,000 tons and the Nimitz-class 10 displacing 87,000 tons. The larger US ships can carry more aircraft, about 75 compared to the Fujian’s projected 60, according to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Analysts also note that US carriers have more catapults, larger air ducts and more elevators to allow quicker deployment of aircraft from the hangar deck below.
US aircraft carriers “remain in a class of their own,” Bradford said.
On the deck of the Fujian aircraft carrier
Schuster said the current round of sea trials in Fujian is expected to last three to six days and will not include flight operations.
“The radar and communications equipment will be tested a number of times, but the first sea trials always focus on hull integrity, propulsion and engineering because issues there prevent everything else from working properly,” Schuster said.
In total, analysts expect Fujian’s sea trials to take at least a year and will likely be operational next year or in 2026. A story on the ministry’s website China’s defense said in January that the Liaoning had undergone 10 sea trials and the Shandong had undergone 10 sea trials before entering service.
When it joins the Chinese navy, Fujian will become a symbol of the world’s largest navy today, with more than 340 warships as Chinese shipyards churn out new warships at a dizzying pace.
The Chinese Navy’s political commissar Yuan Huazhi said in March that a fourth aircraft carrier for the Chinese fleet could be unveiled soon.
When that announcement is made, the question of whether China will possess a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be answered, the Global Times article said.
