fujian aircraft carrier for 9 November 2025

Fujian Aircraft Carrier Latest News

After extensive trials, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)  recently inducted a Fujian aircraft carrier.

About Fujian Aircraft Carrier

• It is China’s third aircraft carrier and its most advanced one yet.
• China already has two other carriers: the Liaoning and Shandong.
• Fujian is China’s first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier.  
• With this addition, China now boasts the second largest number of such ships in the world, though it still lags far behind the 11 operated by the US Navy.

Fujian Aircraft Carrier Features

• Fujian is China's first aircraft carrier with a catapult launch system, which means it can launch heavy and fully loaded warplanes, including an early-warning and control plane. 
  • That allows the carrier to operate against distant targets while far out at sea, since it doesn't have to rely on land-based reconnaissance aircraft to detect threats. 
  • Its planes can also carry more arms and fuel, boosting their range and firepower.
  • It's also the second carrier in the world with an electromagnetic catapult launch system, after America's newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
• However, China’s carriers are still not nuclear-powered, which limits how far and how long they can sail.
• Estimates put the Fujian's operational range at 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles.
• It has a flat flight deck.
• The Fujian has a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons.
• China has not disclosed how many planes Fujian can carry, but experts estimate it is 40 to 60, compared with 60 to 70 on US ships.
• The Fujian has two aircraft elevators (versus three on the USS Ford), a smaller flight deck, and three catapults rather than four, meaning US carriers can launch planes more quickly.

Source: IE