The Chinese navy, which operates the world’s largest fleet of warships by hull count, claimed a breakthrough on Monday as its newest combat jets completed their first flight operations aboard the country’s most advanced aircraft carrier, CNS Fujian.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for further comment via email.
Why It Matters
China is rapidly expanding its naval fleet as part of efforts to challenge United States military supremacy in the Pacific. In addition to the Fujian, which has yet to be put into service and is undergoing testing, the Chinese navy has two operational aircraft carriers—CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong—while the U.S. Navy operates 11.
Aircraft carriers are a key instrument for demonstrating naval strength. In June, China simultaneously deployed the Liaoning and the Shandong in the western Pacific, while the U.S. Navy stationed an aircraft carrier capable of carrying stealth fighter jets in Japan.
The breakthrough in aircraft carrier-based aviation comes just days after China held a high-profile military parade in Beijing on September 3, during which the East Asian power showcased new weapons that could be used in a potential war with the U.S., including nuclear missiles capable of global strikes and hypersonic cruise missiles.
What To Know
Citing the Chinese navy, Xinhua News Agency reported that the J-15T and J-35 fighter jets, along with the KJ-600 early warning and command aircraft, recently completed electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoffs and arrested landings aboard the Fujian.
“The success showed that China’s first domestically built catapult-equipped aircraft carrier has obtained electromagnetic catapult launch and recovery capabilities, marking another breakthrough in the development of China’s aircraft carriers,” the report noted.
Unlike the Liaoning and the Shandong, which use ski-jump flight decks, the Fujian features electromagnetic catapults, enabling it to launch heavier fixed-wing aircraft.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the Fujian can carry about 60 aircraft, more than the Liaoning or the Shandong. It is also equipped with an arrested recovery system, using wires to “catch” and stop aircraft on its flight deck.
The Chinese navy released undated footage showing aircraft launched from and landed on the Fujian‘s flight deck using catapults and arresting wires at an undisclosed sea location. Last week, the aircraft carrier was spotted operating in the South China Sea.
The J-15T jet is designed to operate from both catapult- and ski jump-equipped aircraft carriers. The J-35, described by the defense outlet Naval News as China’s “next-generation naval combat jet,” shares some design similarities with the U.S. F-35 jets.
Meanwhile, the KJ-600 aircraft, which has a radome mounted atop its fuselage, serves as the “eyes and ears” in the air for the Chinese naval fleet, tasked with commanding combat forces and providing early warning for aircraft carriers, Naval News noted.
“This is the designated role for the new KJ-600, a Chinese analogue to the American E-2 series of aircraft,” Naval News commented. According to the U.S. Navy, the E-2 aircraft is capable of detecting and analyzing potentially hostile air and surface targets.
What People Are Saying
Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday: “In recent years, the [Chinese] navy’s carrier-based aviation has accelerated its development, completing a huge leap from single aircraft to system, from shore-based to ship-based, from ski-jump to catapult, and from being able to fly to being able to fight. The People’s Navy is steadily moving towards building a world-class navy.”
Naval News commented in an article in August: “Meanwhile the most pertinent developments for [China’s] carrier-borne fixed wing aviation concern equipping the Fujian with an appropriate airwing. Three important in question are two combat jets, the J-15T and the J-35, and additionally the KJ-600 early warning and command aircraft (AEWC).”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear when China will officially commission the Fujian to maintain a steady aircraft carrier presence in the western Pacific to counter the U.S. and its allies.
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