China has officially commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, marking a significant expansion of its naval power. This places China second only to the United States in the number of active carriers, though it still trails far behind the United States Navy's fleet of 11.
The Fujian entered service this week in a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Its electromagnetic catapult launchers represent a major technological upgrade, giving China's navy the ability to project power further into the Pacific and strengthen its presence in contested waters around Taiwan and the South China Sea.
A leap in carrier technology
Unlike China's first two carriers (the Liaoning and Shandong) the Fujian is fully designed and built domestically. It's also the first Chinese carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system, allowing it to launch heavier, fully armed aircraft such as early-warning planes and stealth fighters.
This system makes the Fujian the second carrier in the world to use electromagnetic catapults, after the United States Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford. Compared to older steam-powered systems, the electromagnetic launchers cause less wear on aircraft, require less maintenance, and can be adjusted for different aircraft types, from drones to heavy jets.
Limitations and comparisons
Despite its advances, the Fujian is not nuclear-powered, limiting its range to roughly 8,000-10,000 nautical miles before refueling, a major difference from America's carriers, which have virtually unlimited range.
Weighing more than 80,000 tons, the Fujian is slightly smaller than the United States Nimitz and Ford-class carriers, which displace around 100,000 tons. It's believed to carry 40 to 60 aircraft, compared to the 60-70 typical of United States carriers. The Fujian's debut underscores China's rapid naval modernization, and signals that a nuclear-powered carrier could be on the horizon, but for now, the United States remains the clear leader in global carrier capability.