Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese navy has embarked on a truly spectacular program of modernization and development. On June 17, she launched the Fujian, its third and most modern aircraft carrier, for sea trials, proof of the progress and speed of this program.
The first two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, are old Soviet models. the Liaoning had originally been purchased from Ukraine at metal prices and then refitted. Although obsolete, these two buildings served to train new generations of naval officers and pilots in the complex science of aircraft carrier operations.
Le Fujian represents a leap forward in terms of capabilities compared to these older models and it will considerably strengthen China’s combat means. He is colossal. 316 meters long, it will displace around 100,000 tons when fully loaded. Its electromagnetic catapult system (Emals) will provide the necessary acceleration for takeoff with such force that the aircraft will be able to carry more fuel and weapons, thus increasing the range and strength of the aircraft carrier’s air group. Early warning aircraft will be able to take off and land more easily, allowing the carrier to spot enemies from further away.
A technology owned by China and the United States only
The Emals is also able to launch more planes at a faster rate, and therefore launch more aircraft faster than opponents who use older technologies – which is vital to defend against enemy strikes.
This last characteristic gives a significant advantage to the Fujian, because only the most recent American aircraft carriers, those of the Ford class, are equipped with them. France is slowly developing a similar system and India is studying its feasibility, but apart from the United States China is the only one to deploy this system. The Chinese navy does not yet have the experience of operating nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, as the United States has done for decades. the Fujian is a conventionally-powered vessel, but some sources predict that the next Chinese-built aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered.
Le Fujian proves to the world that China has skipped several steps in the field of current military technologies, such as steam catapults, to which it has preferred advanced systems that will characterize the Chinese aircraft carrier fleet in the years to come.
A power projection goal for 2035
The Chinese Navy’s goal is to be able to field six operational carrier groups by 2035, which would provide China with a power projection capability unprecedented in its history, anywhere. she wants it. Aircraft carriers do not operate alone, they form the core of a fleet that surrounds the aircraft carrier and