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With the commissioning of its third aircraft carrier, China It now claims the second largest number of such ships in the world, although this is still far behind the 11 ships operated by the US Navy.
The Fujian was officially commissioned into service this week in a ceremony attended by the top leader Xi JinpingOfficer by Xinhua The news agency announced on Friday.
Its electromagnetic catapult launchers mark a technological advancement that will help the Navy project power deeper into the Pacific as it seeks to assert power in disputed waters in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Fujian is China’s first domestically designed carrier. Its first, Liaoning, was refurbished from an incomplete Soviet ship that Ukraine had inherited and later sold to China, while the second, Shandong, was built in China based on Liaoning’s design. All three carriers are named after coastal Chinese provinces.
The country’s three carriers take it forward IndiaThe United Kingdom and Italy, each having two.
Fujian expands China’s naval range
Fujian is China’s first aircraft carrier to have a catapult launch system, meaning it can launch heavy and fully loaded warplanes, including an early-warning and control aircraft. This allows the carrier to operate against distant targets even while at sea, as it does not have to rely on land-based reconnaissance aircraft to detect threats. Its aircraft can also carry more weapons and fuel, increasing their range and firepower.
The Shandong and Liaoning have upward-sloping ski-jump decks that can launch only light-weight fighter jets and cannot handle larger support aircraft.
Electromagnetic slingshot means less stress and more flexibility
It is America’s newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. After Ford, it is the second carrier in the world with an electromagnetic catapult launch system.
AmericaAll 11 carriers have catapult launchers, but the 10 Nimitz-class carriers use a steam system instead of electromagnetic.
Steam catapults exert more pressure on both aircraft and ships, require more maintenance, and take up more space.
The electromagnetic version operates more efficiently and can also handle a wider range of aircraft, as its launch power can be calibrated to handle both light drones and heavy aircraft.
These include the KJ-600 early warning and control aircraft and China’s latest J-35 stealth fighter aircraft and J-15T heavy fighter aircraft.
But it lacks one important feature: nuclear power.
China’s carriers are not nuclear-powered, so they are limited in how long and how far they can travel. Fujian’s operational range is estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles. America’s carriers are nuclear-powered, giving them virtually unlimited range without the need to refuel.
China appears to be working on nuclear propulsion for its next-generation carriers, as the AP reported last year, but the timetable is unclear. Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the military’s naval research institute, told state broadcaster CCTV in September that the country’s carrier development is moving in that direction.
Fujian is smaller than US carriers
Fujian has a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons, compared with the 100,000 tons of America’s Nimitz and Ford-class carriers.
China has not disclosed how many aircraft Fujian can carry, but experts estimate it to be 40 to 60. American carriers can carry 60 to 70 aircraft.
The Fujian has two aircraft lifts compared to three on the USS Ford, a smaller flight deck, and three catapults compared to the Ford’s four. Experts say that means American ships should be able to launch planes more quickly.
The second Ford-class carrier is expected to be delivered to the US Navy in 2027.