Fujian Aircraft Carrier Begins Sea Trials #fujian #aircraftcarrier #pla #j15 #EMALS

On May 1st, China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, commenced its maiden sea trials. The Fujian is the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) first catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, departing from the design philosophy of Soviet carriers and adopting a design concept similar to that of American carriers, featuring a flat flight deck and electromagnetic catapults.

The Fujian is the PLA's first aircraft carrier designed and built according to Western standards, differing significantly from the design concepts of its predecessors, the Liaoning and Shandong. After transforming former Soviet carriers into Liaoning China, it has managed to own three carriers in just 12 years.

Political rather than military considerations primarily drive China's urgency in constructing the Fujian. Controlling only the South China Sea and East China Sea would not require such luxurious equipment for the PLA. Xi Jinping's ambition will likely extend into the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and even the Atlantic.

China has not publicly disclosed the performance parameters of the Fujian, and most information available to the public is speculative based on photographs. The most reliable data suggests that the flight deck is 1,036 feet long, with a total width of 249 feet, and a waterline length of approximately 958 feet, with a maximum width of around 129 feet, possibly exceeding 80,000 tons in total load displacement.