Fujian Aircraft Carrier

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.

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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