China unveils its most advanced aircraft carrier and vows it will soon be ‘combat ready’
- China has unveiled its most advanced aircraft carrier yet
- The Fuijan will be equipped with a new electromagnetic aircraft launch system
- The carrier has yet to conduct its first sea trials
Chinese state media has revealed new images of the country's most advanced aircraft carrier to date, including next-generation launch pads that can catapult a wider range of aircraft off the deck.
The Fujian was first shown to the public in June 2022 and was designed and built entirely domestically.
But to conduct its first sea trials, the aircraft carrier is larger and more technologically advanced than the Shandong, which was commissioned in 2019, and the Liaoning, which China bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted domestically.
State television showed the Fujian being towed by a smaller vessel late on Tuesday, with all three traces of the electromagnetic catapult system visible on the deck.
“In the New Year, we will make the most of every minute, work with determination and strive for combat readiness as quickly as possible,” state TV quoted a Fujian officer as saying.
The Fujian was first shown to the public in June 2022 and was designed and built entirely domestically (photo)
The Fujian conducted tests before the sea trial, including mooring tests
The airline began launch tests for its electromagnetic catapult system in November
The Fujian conducted tests, including mooring tests, before sea trials, which some observers expected to take place by 2023.
According to China's state-controlled Global Times newspaper, the airline began launch tests for its electromagnetic catapult system in November.
Aside from the Ford-class aircraft carriers, a new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers being developed for the US Navy, the Fujian will be the only aircraft carrier in the world equipped with the latest Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
The Chinese version of the EMALS can launch more types of aircraft than the Shandong or the Liaoning, and will also be more reliable and energy efficient, marking a milestone in the modernization of the Chinese military.
President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for increased combat readiness and technological advancements ahead of the centenary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2027.
Some senior US military officers previously said China would launch a military takeover of Taiwan by that year.
Ahead of the January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections, Taiwan has reported that China continues its daily military activities in the Taiwan Strait and around the democratically governed island.
Chinese fighter jets have also occasionally crossed the center line of the strait, which previously served as an unofficial barrier but which Beijing says it does not recognize.