Chinese military says third aircraft carrier 'Fujian' will be launched soon

Beijing, Sept 25 (PTI) China's third aircraft carrier 'Fujian', which has been successfully conducting tests and training in accordance with the plan, will be commissioned soon, the Chinese military said on Thursday.

"It is not far off," Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry, told a media briefing here.

He said that carrier-based aircraft J-15T, J-35 and KongJing-600 have completed catapult-assisted take-off and arrested landing training aboard the Fujian.

The success of the training demonstrates that Fujian has obtained electromagnetic catapult launch and recovery capabilities, paving the way for multiple types of carrier-based aircraft to be integrated into the carrier formation, and marking a milestone in the development of China's aircraft carriers, Zhang said.

Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier with hull number 18, was launched in June 2022 and named after Fujian Province. Unlike the ski-jump decks of China's first two carriers -- the Liaoning and the Shandong -- the Fujian features a flat flight deck, with a full-load displacement exceeding 80,000 tonnes.

Fujian is stated to be the most advanced aircraft carrier possessing an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) used by the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

China plans to operationalise Fujian this year as it has completed nearly three years of sea trials, setting the stage for the Chinese navy for the first time to operate three carrier groups.

The recent trial deployments of Fujian in the Taiwan Strait and the disputed South China Sea raised concerns about China flexing its naval muscle to enforce its territorial claims.

China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland. It also claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.

After the operationalisation of Fujian, China may also extend the deployment of aircraft carriers in India's backyard, the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, where its naval fleet is active with bases in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and Pakistan's Gwadar, besides the commercial port Hambantota in Sri Lanka, which it acquired as a debt swap.

According to a recent BBC report, China now has the world's largest fleet of 234 warships compared to the US Navy's 219.

According to the official media, China plans to have four to five aircraft carriers, including a nuclear-powered carrier, making them the frontline force of its navy as Beijing seeks to expand its global influence with deployments in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Indian Ocean in future.

Simultaneously, China is developing a new fighter aircraft that can operate from its carrier groups. PTI KJV  ZH ZH