First High-Resolution Images of China’s Third Carrier Fujian During Sea Trials Released - The Aviationist

Summary

Here is a summary of the key points about the Fujian and its sea trials:

China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has begun its first sea trials. The Fujian is China's largest and most advanced carrier to date, with several key upgrades over China's previous carriers:

The Fujian is equipped with an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), allowing it to launch heavier aircraft with greater payloads compared to the ski-jump launch systems on China's earlier carriers. This gives the Fujian's air wing greater striking power.
The Fujian has a full displacement of over 80,000 tons, significantly larger than China's previous carriers. It is expected to be able to carry 60-70 aircraft, including J-15 fighters and KJ-600 AWACS.
The key details about the Fujian's propulsion, speed are: Conventionally powered (not nuclear).Top speed of 32 knots. Likely has more limited range/endurance compared to nuclear-powered US carriers, though the exact range is not specified.
The sea trials will test the Fujian's propulsion, electrical, and other core systems. This is the first of several planned trials before the carrier becomes fully operational, which is expected in late 2024 or 2025.
The Fujian represents a major step forward in China's naval modernization and ability to project power, particularly in the East and South China Seas. However, it still lags behind the capabilities of the latest US aircraft carriers.
China is also developing a fourth carrier, which may be nuclear-powered, further enhancing its long-term naval ambitions. The lessons learned from the Fujian's development and operations will inform China's future carrier programs.

Chinese media estimates that the supercarrier’s weapons and flight tests of aircraft too will be conducted over the next year, possibly alongside the sea trials

The first high-resolution images of China’s fourth aircraft carrier were released, as the flat-top concluded its first eight-day sea-trials. The warship looked majestic with the colors of its steel superstructure and flight deck sharply visible, as against the open source images on social media when it left Jiangnan shipyard’s pier in the Yangtze river’s delta on April 29, 2024. The ship moored out under its own power, while being assisted by several tugboats.

Handle ‘sugar_wsnbn’ on X (formerly Twitter) said the Fujian conducted “tests on its driveline and power systems,” and “will continue (scheduled) test operations,” possibly over the next year. Before the Fujian set out for sea trials, it underwent comprehensive mooring and equipment calibration trials.

The current stage involves thoroughly testing and running the ship’s propulsion, electrical, power generation, fire suppression, communication, navigation and various electronics under various conditions and scenarios to validate their performance. The practice determines that the vessel is fit for basic sea-going state, if not for regular combat duties.

Next Stage – Flight Trials & Weapons Tests

The next stage in the carrier’s test will include flight trials of J-15 and possibly the J-31/J-35, where its Electro-Magnetic Launch System (EMALS)-powered catapult will launch and retrieve the fighters. Going by the schedule of earlier Chinese carriers like the Liaoning and the Shandong, this process is likely to commence by next year, possibly between early to mid-2025.

In south Asian and Indian Navy parlance, the stages are described as the “work-up” phase. Here, ship management, operational procedures and emergency procedures are finalized. The commissioning crew fully verifies the performance parameters of the vessel’s systems that they oversaw during the construction and outfitting stage. Any issues and required repairs and modifications are undertaken when the vessel goes back to the shipyard.

Global Times however estimated an ambitious timeline that involved flight trials to also be concurrently wrapped over the next year along with the sea sailing trials. “In the coming months, the carrier will conduct several sessions of sea trials and test more complicated operational components, including electromagnetic compatibility, weapons systems, as well as takeoffs and landing of aircraft.”

A top view of the Fujian during its sea trials showing a completely empty flight deck. Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Weibo

The weapons trials will meanwhile involve testing the ship’s Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS) like the Type-730 gatling gun and what appears to be the HQ-10 point missile defense system. Two of each of the two systems are seen on the port-side – two near the bow and two near the stern.

These would be tested with the ship’s Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and fire control systems, checking if target acquisition and engagement fusion and procedures by gunnery crews are working in tandem.

The advanced stages would involve using the weapons against pilotless target drones. The systems are the ship’s last line of defense against incoming anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, after projectiles have managed to evade other defenses by surrounding destroyers and frigates, part of the carrier battle group (CBG).

Largest & Most Advanced Chinese Carrier

The Liaoning and the Shandong displace about 60,000 tons each and use a ski-jump ramp to launch aircraft given their short-take-off barrier-arrested (STOBAR) configuration. Planes taking off have to do so on their own power.

The Fujian in comparison displaces 80,000 tons, while its EMALS allows it to launch aircraft with their full payload capacities, and also release heavier planes like the KJ-600 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS).

Beside advanced versions of the J-15, and the next-generation J-31/J-35 stealth fighter, it is also expected to operate the JL-10 advanced jet trainer. This could possibly be a naval variant with a stronger landing gear and arrestor hooks to be operated from carriers. Combined with the Shandong and Liaoning, the carrier strengthens China’s additional line of defense beside the long-range anti-access/area-denial weapons led by the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile.

The J-15 variants might include the J-15B, a version designed to be launched by steam and EMALS-powered CATOBAR. The original J-15, a Chinese-made analogue of the Russian Su-33 Flanker, can also take off from STOBAR ski-jump-configured carriers like the Liaoning and the Shandong. The J-15B is therefore expected to be Fujian’s frontline fighter aircraft, given it can carry more weight and is heavier and larger than the stealth J-31/J-35. The lighter J-31/J-35 might be restricted from carrying external loads with a view to not compromise its stealth.

A ‘teaming’ pair between the J-15B, the electronic-warfare-centric J-15D and the J-35 can be expected, where the J-35 undertakes the stealthy radar surveillance roles. The J-15 might act as the missile truck, releasing missiles at targets identified by J-35 and the J-15D. The J-15D is China’s version of the US Navy’s EA-18G Growler.

Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.

China’s third and newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has begun its maiden sea trials, Chinese official media said on May 1, as Beijing strives to boost its anti-access/area denial capabilities against the United States’ forces around the disputed South and East China Seas and Taiwan Strait. The Fujian is China’s largest warship to date.

Citing the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s announcement, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that the Fujian left the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai for its first test voyage at about 8 a.m. on May 1. The sea trial is intended for testing the carrier’s propulsion and electric power systems, it said.

Xinhua didn’t elaborate on details such as the schedule and planned location of the trial.

But prior to this test voyage, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, under China’s Ministry of Transport, on April 30 issued a navigational hazard safety notice to establish an off-limits zone for military exercises in waters off the coast about 100 kilometers east of Shanghai from 7 a.m. on May 1 until 9 a.m. on May 9. The aircraft carrier is expected to conduct tests in that sea area during that period.

Launched in June 2022, the Fujian is China’s first aircraft carrier equipped with advanced electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices for launching and landing fighter jets.

Specifically, it is equipped with the so-called CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) system, whereby planes are launched by catapults and recovered by arrestor wires. This not only enables the Fujian to launch more fighter-bombers at one time, but also allows fighter jets to carry much heavier loads than the alternative short takeoff systems used by most of the navies operating aircraft carriers.

The Fujian has a full displacement of more than 80,000 tons and a length of about 316 meters. There is, as yet, no real detail for how many jets the ship can carry, but the 2023 Defense White Paper published by the Japanese Defense Ministry in July 2023 said the Fujian can carry 60 to 70 aircraft, including J-15 fighters and KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft.

In contrast, the Liaoning, a refurbished Ukrainian carrier that became China’s first aircraft carrier, has a full load displacement of 58,500 tons and a length of about 305 meters. Meanwhile, the Shandong, China’s first indigenously built carrier, has a full load displacement of 66,000 tons and a length of 315 meters.

Both carriers can carry around 40 aircraft. China’s first two aircraft carriers use the ski jump-style STOBAR (Short Take-off, Barrier-Arrested Recovery) system, which allows carrier-based aircraft to glide on the flight deck and take off under their own power, without the aid of a catapult.

The Fujian was named after Fujian Province, where President Xi Jinping worked for years before rising to the nation’s supreme leader. The Chinese carrier is expected to be deployed to the PLAN’s East Sea Fleet, which has jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait off Fujian Province.

China is aiming to strengthen its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the South and East China Seas and Western Pacific Ocean, which would prevent U.S. aircraft carriers and other aircraft from approaching. Once the Fujian is deployed, China’s naval forces will have unprecedented striking power and stronger power projection capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.

China’s new Fujian-class aircraft carrier “will increase the striking power of a potential PLAN carrier battle group when deployed to areas beyond China’s immediate periphery,” the U.S Defense Department’s 2023 China Military Power Report pointed out in October 2023.

“When commissioned, the carrier will be capable of launching various specialized fixed-wing aircraft for early warning, electronic warfare, or antisubmarine warfare missions, increasing the strike power potential of the PLAN,” it cautioned.

The Pentagon expects the Fujian to be commissioned in 2024. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense predicts that the Fujian will enter service in 2025 after completing navigation tests.

China Daily reported the Liaoning underwent 10 sea trials before going into service, and the Shandong conducted nine before its commissioning.

An aerial drone photo shows China's third aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian (Hull 18) during its maiden sea trial. The aircraft carrier completed its maiden sea trial on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Ding Ziyu)

SHANGHAI, May 8 -- China's third aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian (Hull 18) returned to Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard on Wednesday afternoon after completing its eight-day maiden sea trial.

During the sea trial, the aircraft carrier tested its propulsion and electrical systems and other equipment, and achieved the expected results.

In the next stage, PLANS Fujian will conduct follow-up tests according to established plans.

An aerial drone photo shows China's third aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian (Hull 18) during its maiden sea trial. The aircraft carrier completed its maiden sea trial on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Ding Ziyu)

Sailors assigned to China's third aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian (Hull 18) conduct maiden sea trial. The aircraft carrier completed its maiden sea trial on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Pu Haiyang)

An aerial drone photo shows China's third aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian (Hull 18) during its maiden sea trial. The aircraft carrier completed its maiden sea trial on May 8, 2024. (Photo by Pu Haiyang)

Chinese aircraft carrier *Fujian*. Xinhua Photo

China’s third aircraft carrier Fujian (18) left Shanghai on Wednesday morning to conduct its first sea trial, according to a report by People’s Liberation Army News. Meanwhile, the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) first batch of female naval aviators carried out their first solo flight on Apr. 25.
Fujian left Jiangnan Shipyard at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, according to PLA News, with the sea trial being conducted to test and verify the reliability and stability of the carrier’s power, electrical and other systems. No details were given as to the location or duration of the sea trials, but the China Maritime Safety Administration issued a navigational hazard safety notice for an area 80 miles away from Shanghai starting from Wednesday and concluding on May 9. The PLA News report stated that since the carrier was launched in 2022, its construction has been on schedule and it had completed its mooring trials, equipment adjustment and met the technical requirements to sail for sea trials.

The 80,000-ton carrier is China’s first CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery) carrier, in contrast to CNS Liaoning (16) and CNS Shandong (17), which both use ski jumps to assist aircraft launches. Fujian also uses the EMALS (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System) to launch its aircraft. Currently, only the Gerald R. Ford-class U.S. carriers feature EMALS, though the French PANG (porte-avions de nouvelle génération) new-generation aircraft carrier that will enter service in 2038 will also employ EMALS.

Shandong conducted nine sea trials from May 2018 to November 2019 before it was commissioned in December 2019, though it remains to be seen as to whether Fujian will conduct the same number of trials and in the same time length.

Fujian is expected to enter service by late next year or in 2026, allowing the PLAN’s carrier strike groups (CSGs) to maintain a higher deployment tempo. Neither the Liaoning and Shandong CSGs have conducted a deployment for this year. Liaoning is working its way to operational readiness after coming out of a year-long refit that began in February 2023. Shandong has remained in its home base in Sanya conducting in port drills and crew training since December last year, when it returned from northern China after conducting a month of training of carrier aviation pilots.

In March, Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the PLAN, told Chinese media that China would announce a fourth carrier soon and would also reveal if it would be a nuclear powered or a conventionally powered like its existing three carriers. So far no official announcement has been made.

With a third and potentially fourth carrier, the PLAN’s carrier aviation force will need to expand, leading to the service in April 2023 opening pilot recruitment to women for the first time. The first batch of female pilot trainees carried out their first solo flights on Apr. 25 at the PLA Naval Aviation University in Yantai, according to a PLA Daily report.

The initial report did not disclose how many trainees made the flights, though a second report by PLA Daily stated that all trainees completed their solo flights successfully and during the hour-long flight, instructors on the ground did not have to issue any corrections to the trainee pilots. All the trainee pilots were born after the year 2000, according to PLA Daily.

PLA Daily also reported that in the summer, the female trainee pilots will carry out advanced flight training which will include instrument flying, navigation, formation flying and night flying. In its 2023 recruitment announcement, PLAN stated that after two months of basic training, cadet pilots would undergo 3-4 years of flight training at the PLA Naval Aviation University before graduating for assignment, thus, at the earliest, China will have its first batch of female naval aviators in late 2026.

China’s largest and most advanced warship has begun its first sea trial, paving the way for the country to enhance its navy’s capability to project power amid US concerns of Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Fujian, which is China’s third aircraft carrier, tested waters Wednesday, according to the state broadcaster CCTV. The ship was launched and officially named in June 2022. The province is across the strait from Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party has pledged to take — even if by force.

The 316-meter (1037-foot) carrier is fitted with three electromagnetic catapults to launch fighter jets, which is similar to the advanced system used by the latest US carrier, the 337-meter long USS Gerald R. Ford. But unlike America’s fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the Fujian is conventionally powered, which could limit its range and duration of its deployments.

The first sea trial will mainly focus on the reliability and stability of the propulsion and power systems, according to Chinese state media. The Fujian needs to go through the trials to test its performance including for its engine and weapon systems, before it’s delivered to the navy.

The sea trial marks a milestone for the Fujian, a key piece of the puzzle in President Xi Jinping’s ambitious plan to improve the military. Under his watch, China set a goal of building “a modern military” by 2027 and a “world-class” version by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic.

With a displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the Fujian is some 20,000 tons more than its two predecessors. The ship is part of a naval buildup that the Pentagon expects to reach 435 vessels by 2030. In addition, China is bolstering the armaments on its Coast Guard vessels, sending the militarized ships to contested waters in places such as the South China Sea.

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Both the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era vessel that became China’s first aircraft carrier, and the Chinese-built Shandong use ski-jumps, which are less efficient for launching jets compared to catapults. The Fujian also features a flat runway, which allows for more room on the carrier’s deck for jets.

Sea trials for the Liaoning took as long as 13 months, while the Shandong took some 19 months.

(Updates with comments from state media in paragraph four. A previous version corrected a mention for a jet-launching method.)

OPINION:

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China’s national television, print and social media have released the latest pictures of the country’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, a designated CV-18 that is conducting its first underway sea trials.

China state media will hype its capabilities while some Western commentators will note its shortcomings.

Both perspectives, however, miss the carrier’s significance.

As the country’s first indigenously designed and catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested recovery aircraft carrier, it represents a major step forward in the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, expansion and modernization program.

The Fujian itself does not pose a major challenge to the U.S. Navy’s dominance in open ocean naval operations, and it is 10 to 14 months from becoming fully operational.

Its air wing, however, will be more powerful and have greater reach than any European aircraft carrier in service.

Moreover, with China’s fourth carrier nearing launch by the end of this year, the Fujian should be viewed as an advanced concept and doctrinal development platform intended to prepare the PLAN for the day when it becomes a global maritime force.

While the PLAN has embarked on large-scale and comparatively rapid growth in size and capabilities, it has taken a conservative and evolutionary approach to doing so. Each class of ship, including its carriers, has been incrementally better than its predecessors, and construction followed many studies and operational evaluations of the technologies involved.

Similarly, the PLAN’s doctrine, procedures and tactics have evolved in accordance with the introduction of new systems. PLAN leaders recognize the Fujian’s benefits and shortcomings and, as they did with the Type 001 and 002 carriers, The Liaoning and Shandong are using the lessons learned from its construction to make the follow-on Type 004-class carrier more capable. They will take the same educational approach to the Fujian’s operations.

The Fujian’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS, does represent a major technical advancement, but its air wing and offensive strike capabilities are far below those of the United States’ latest Nimitz — and Ford-class carriers but superior to those of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth-class vessels and France’s aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, Europe’s two most powerful carriers.

The de Gaulle’s nuclear power gives it greater strategic reach, but once it is in the operating area, the Fujian will enjoy the advantage of greater battle space management and aerial striking power. Its air wing will be larger, with 50 to 60 aircraft versus 30 to 40 on current carriers, and its EMALS gives it the ability to launch its aircraft more rapidly.

In addition, the Fujian’s air wing will include the tanking and airborne early warning and control system aircraft that the British aircraft carriers lack. That will enable the Fujian to launch its strikes from longer ranges or with greater ordnance loads; and direct its operations and those of its accompanying strike group more effectively. Finally, it is faster than the de Gaulle, sailing at 32 knots versus 27 knots, which offers many advantages in combat and conditions of slow to no wind.

Thus, the Fujian reflects a trend that portends a coming challenge that the United States cannot ignore. Its sea trials and subsequent operations will serve as experiments and a schoolhouse to refine the PLAN’s vision for its aircraft carrier force. The coming Type 004 aircraft carrier is expected to have tactical combat capabilities approaching if not equal to those of the latest U.S. Navy aircraft carriers when the first unit enters service before this decade’s end.

The Fujian’s combat power may be inferior to that of Ford-class carriers, but it would be a mistake to discount its capabilities. It should be viewed as a potential contribution to China’s military options in the areas where Beijing has been aggressively pressing its maritime claims. In those waters, the Fujian will enjoy air and ballistic missile support in the East and South China seas as well as the waters around Taiwan.

The Chinese military envisions its carriers as the forward elements of a comprehensive operational system incorporating air, missile and maritime power against America’s carrier strike groups. As such, it is developing the procedures and doctrine to integrate its air and rocket forces into maritime operations within and just beyond the “near seas,” or what the West calls the first island chain — which includes the Japanese archipelago, the Ryukyu Islands, the Kuril Islands, the northern Philippines, Taiwan and Borneo. Those efforts are in the early stages, but the Chinese military’s joint operations are improving, and the Fujian will play a key role in shaping those efforts over the next two to three years.

More importantly, the lessons learned will be applied to employing the Type 004 and later carriers that will enter service between 2028 and 2030.

Equally important, the PLAN’s aircraft carrier construction choices and force structure will signal China’s maritime goals and intentions.

More immediately, the Type 004 will have an air wing, battle space management and flight operations capabilities approaching those of the Ford class. It most likely will be conventionally powered and lack the American carriers’ strategic mobility and endurance. But those won’t be decisive factors in the constrained waters of the South China Sea and areas close to China. But constructing a nuclear-powered carrier will signal China’s naval ambitions extend far beyond the “near seas.” Those carriers’ combat capabilities and strategic mobility will match our Navy carriers and be capable of challenging U.S. naval power in the Central Pacific and other waters far from U.S. soil.

Correction: Due to an editing error, the incorrect nation’s navy was referenced in relation to the Fujian sea trials in one instance.

• Carl O. Schuster is a retired Navy captain and a 25-year veteran who now teaches as an adjunct faculty member of Hawaii Pacific University’s Diplomacy and Military Studies program.

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Wednesday, May 8, 2024