The Chinese Navy has just commissioned Fujian, its third aircraft carrier — the first equipped with electromagnetic catapults and now the largest ship in the PLAN fleet.
As per press statements from China’s Ministry of National Defence, President Xi Jinping was present at last week’s commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony in Sanya, the military port in south China’s island province of Hainan.
The President, also the chairman of the Central Military Commission, boarded for an inspection of the new vessel, which was launched in June 2022 and completed her maiden sea trials in May last year.
Unofficially dubbed a “supercarrier,” at 316 metres long, 76 metres wide and with a displacement estimated at in excess of 80,000 tonnes, the domestically designed and built ship is the largest in the PLAN fleet.
She will carry J-35 next-generation fighter jets, J-15T multirole jets and J-15D electronic warfare jets, as well as KongJing-600 early warning aircraft and Z-20 helicopters.
According to Senior Captain Leng Guowei, an ongoing series of tests of onboard systems are planned while the Fujian is fully outfitted with its carrier-based aircraft, a programme set to completed “in the near future” according to a spokesman.
The vessel’s flight deck is thought to be equipped with three electromagnetic catapults and arresting gears; the only other carrier to use EM launch and recovery systems is the USS Gerald R. Ford. Unlike the nuclear-fuelled American ship, however, Fujian is powered by conventional steam turbines and diesel generators.
- You can read more details about the Fuijian on the Chinese Ministry of National Defence website