Hong Kong, November 19 (ANI): After the commissioning of Fujian on November 5, China now operates a fleet of three aircraft carriers, making the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) the world’s second-largest operator of carriers. However, this still falls well short of the eleven carriers operated by the United States.
The US Navy has dominated the Western Pacific since the end of World War II, but China’s growing naval power has increasingly challenged that dominance. China once lagged significantly in aircraft carrier technology, but that gap is narrowing rapidly.
The arrival of Fujian marks a substantial leap in capability for the PLAN, as well as a demonstration of the speed of China’s technological progress. In addition to its three carriers, the PLAN also operates large flattop vessels capable of helicopter operations. It currently fields four Type 075 ships, while the United States has nine comparable vessels and Japan has four. As China strengthens its ability to project power, the induction of the new Type 076 ship—which can launch armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—is also drawing closer.
Fujian, designated Type 003, was introduced with great fanfare, underscored by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s presence at the commissioning ceremony at Sanya Naval Base on Hainan Island. Xi personally pressed the catapult activation button during the event, sending a launch shuttle speeding forward “like an arrow leaving the string of a bow,” according to state media.
At Sanya, Fujian was berthed next to Shandong, China’s second carrier. While Shandong and its predecessor Liaoning were built using older Soviet-influenced designs, Fujian represents a substantial evolution. Weighing an estimated 80,000 tons, the carrier measures about 320 meters in length with a beam of 78 meters and can reach speeds of up to 30 knots.
A major point of distinction is Fujian’s use of an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), an advanced catapult technology that replaces the ski-jump ramps used on China’s earlier carriers. EMALS accelerates aircraft along the deck using electromagnetic power, enabling the launch of heavier aircraft like the KJ-600 airborne early warning platform—aircraft that cannot be launched from Liaoning or Shandong.
Only the US Navy’s Ford-class carriers currently use EMALS, highlighting the technological leap China has made. Xi Jinping is said to have personally approved the adoption of this system. Fujian employs three EMALS catapults and features an integrated power system powered by conventional steam turbines and diesel generators.
The new technology allows Fujian to launch aircraft at higher rates and with greater efficiency. Its air wing is expected to include around 60 aircraft, compared to 44 on previous carriers. This includes J-15T carrier fighters, J-15DT electronic warfare variants, stealthy J-35 fifth-generation fighters, and KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft—China’s analogue to the US-made E-2 Hawkeye.
Chinese media released footage in September of these aircraft conducting operations during sea trials. The carrier also hosts anti-submarine warfare variants of the Z-20 helicopter. Construction of Fujian began roughly eight years ago at the Jiangnan Shipyard, with the carrier launched in June 2022. After several sea trials, it was commissioned just over three years later. Its assignment to the Southern Theatre Command suggests it will operate alongside Shandong, while Liaoning remains based in Qingdao.
With Fujian operating from Sanya, the PLAN will be better positioned to dominate the South China Sea and increase pressure on Taiwan. Chinese analyst Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that the carrier’s immediate access to the region will enable dual-carrier operations and long-range missions.
China’s naval modernization has been driven in part by the 1995–96 Taiwan Strait crisis, when the US deployed aircraft carriers to deter Beijing. China was unable to challenge the US Navy at the time. Today, however, US carrier groups in the region would face significant threats from China’s advanced missile systems.
Additional carriers enhance China’s ability to encircle Taiwan and potentially complicate US intervention during a crisis. The US Pacific Fleet maintains bases in Japan, Guam, and Hawaii, and China would likely try to block US access to Taiwan in the event of conflict.
Although Fujian has entered service, it will require years of training and trials before reaching full operational capability. Dr. Collin Koh, Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told ANI that China may ultimately aim for a fleet of at least six carriers, allowing two to be deployed at any given time.
Earlier this year, the PLAN conducted major drills east of Japan, with more than 1,100 aircraft sorties flown from its two older carriers. US analysts have noted a potential design issue with Fujian: an overlap between the landing area and the central jet blast deflector that may limit simultaneous launch and recovery operations. Despite this, Chinese experts claim Fujian can launch up to 300 sorties per day. Its carrier strike group is expected to include Type 055 cruisers equipped with YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missiles.
China is also believed to be constructing a fourth carrier, possibly nuclear-powered, at the Jiangnan Shipyard. Satellite imagery has identified what appears to be a prototype reactor in Sichuan Province, and an enlarged carrier mock-up in Wuhan with a new island structure suggests a larger design is forthcoming.
In addition to Fujian, the PLAN’s new Sichuan-class Type 076 amphibious assault ship recently completed its maiden sea trial. On November 16, the PLAN reported that the ship returned to the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard after successfully testing key propulsion and power systems. Future trials will follow according to the construction plan.
The Type 076 is unique among global amphibious assault ships because it can operate fixed-wing UAVs. It features a single EMALS catapult on its flight deck and a raised blast deflector, allowing it to launch drones such as the jet-powered GJ-21. The drone, derived from the GJ-11, has an internal weapons bay and a tailhook for arrested landings.
Sichuan displaces around 40,000 tons and has a dual-island superstructure on the flight deck. Two elevators transport aircraft between the hangar and flight deck, and three arrestor wires support UAV recovery. At 252 meters long with a 45-meter-wide flight deck, it rivals the size of the US Navy’s America-class amphibious assault ships and is larger than France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier. The vessel also includes a well deck for landing craft and hovercraft.
One capability China still lacks is a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter similar to the US F-35B, though analysts believe such an aircraft is already in development.
The PLAN is now the world’s largest navy by hull count. In just 13 years, it has grown from having no carriers to possessing three, with more on the way. China concentrates most of its naval power—and missile coverage—in the Western Pacific, but the arrival of advanced vessels like Fujian and Sichuan strengthens its reach as a blue-water navy.
With three carriers now in service, China is poised to expand its naval presence across oceans worldwide. (ANI)
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