''Fujian'' (18; ) is a Chinese aircraft carrier serving in the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

. It is the third

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

of the

Chinese aircraft carrier programme , the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has two active carriers, the and , with the third, , currently undergoing sea trials. A fourth carrier, currently called " Type 004" and featuring nuclear propulsion, has been under constructi ...

and the first of the Type 003 class (NATO/ OSD ''Fujian'' class). It succeeds the Type 002 ''Shandong'' which is described as a modified aircraft carrier. It is China's first indigenously designed carrier, and its first capable of

catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...

assisted take-off In aviation, assisted takeoff is any system for helping aircraft to get into the air (as opposed to strictly under its own power). The reason it might be needed is due to the aircraft's weight exceeding the normal maximum takeoff weight, insuf ...

s (

CATOBAR CATOBAR (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery or catapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery) is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Under this technique, aircraft laun ...

); previous Chinese carriers used ski-jumps (

STOBAR STOBAR ("short take-off but arrested recovery" or "short take-off, barrier-arrested recovery") is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier, combining elements of "short take-off and vertical land ...

). ''Fujian'' was built by the

Jiangnan Shipyard Jiangnan Shipyard ( zh, c=江南造船厂, p=Jiāngnán Zàochuán Chǎng) is a historic shipyard in Shanghai, China. The shipyard has been state-owned since its founding in 1865 and is now operated as Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co. Ltd. Befo ...

for the

(PLAN), launched on 17 June 2022, and started

sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...

in May 2024. In 2019, analyst Robert Farley believed that ''Fujian'' would be the "largest and most advanced aircraft carrier ever built outside the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Design

''Fujian''s class was originally designated by observers as Type 002. At the time, the class of the incomplete was thought to be Type 001A. ''Shandong'' was officially confirmed as a Type 002 during commissioning in December 2019. After that, observers began referring to the incomplete ''Fujian'' as Type 003. The ship was originally intended to use

steam catapult An aircraft catapult is a device used to help fixed-wing aircraft gain enough airspeed and lift for takeoff from a limited distance, typically from the deck of a ship. They are usually used on aircraft carrier flight decks as a form of assist ...

s. In 2013, PLAN

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Yin Zhuo Yin Zhuo (; born September 1945), is a rear admiral in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, and a committee member of the eleventh Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Yin Zhuo is Han Chinese and was born in September 1945 of ...

reported it would use EM catapults; EM catapults prototypes were observed in 2012. The change to EM catapults likely explains the increase in size from previous Chinese carriers.

Size

The ship is estimated to be long, wide, and have a full load

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 80,000 to 85,000 tons. The size has been compared to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's s.

Aviation

The

flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface on which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...

has three

electromagnetic catapult An electromagnetic catapult, also called EMALS ("electromagnetic aircraft launch system") after the specific US system, is a type of aircraft launching system. Currently, only the United States and China have successfully developed it, and it i ...

s (EM catapults) and an angled landing area with

arresting gear An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...

. As of at least 2024, EM catapults are the most sophisticated aircraft launch technology and are only used on the ''Fujian'' and the . ''Fujian''s air wing is estimated to include at least 40 fixed-wing aircraft and 12 helicopters. The onboard air wing includes

-compatible Shenyang J-15T fighter, the Shenyang J-15D electronic-warfare aircraft, the

Shenyang J-35 The Shenyang J-35 () is a series of Chinese single-seater, twin-engine, all-weather, stealth multirole combat aircraft manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), designed for air superiority and surface strike missions. The aircraft ...

stealth fighter Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 N ...

, and the Xi'an KJ-600

airborne early warning and control An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar early warning system designed to detect aircraft, ships, vehicles, missiles and other incoming projectiles at long ranges, as well as performing command and control of the ...

(AEW&C) aircraft.

Propulsion

''Fujian'' is powered by conventional steam turbines and diesel generators.

History

Construction

Construction began in the mid-2010s. ''

The National Interest ''The National Interest'' (''TNI'') is an American bimonthly international relations magazine edited by American journalist Jacob Heilbrunn and published by the Center for the National Interest, a public policy think tank based in Washington, ...

'' reported it began March 2015. ''

The Diplomat A diplomat is someone who represents a government in its relations with other governments. It may also refer to: Diplomat, the Diplomat or the Diplomats may refer to: Media * ''The Diplomat'' (magazine), a Washington, D.C. online foreign affa ...

'' reported that "initial work" began in February 2016, with Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard Group receiving a notice to proceed in March 2017. Work was reportedly delayed in June 2017 by EM and steam catapult tests. By November 2017, work had resumed after the PLAN reportedly developing an IEP system to power the EM catapults. The first

prefabricated Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. Some research ...

block modules were placed into the

dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

in July 2020, and most of the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

and base

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

blocks were in place by early September 2020. The

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

was installed by July 2021.

Outfitting

''Fujian'' was launched on 17 June 2022. Like previous Chinese carriers, it was named for a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

according to PLAN naming regulations.

Western media Western media is the mass media of the Western world. During the Cold War, Western media contrasted with Soviet media. Western media has gradually expanded into developing countries (often, non-Western countries) around the world. History T ...

noted that

Fujian province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

was opposite to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

across the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a strait separating the island of Taiwan and the Asian continent. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. Names Former names of the Tai ...

. Power and mooring tests started in April 2023. Catapult testing started in November 2023. Aircraft

mockup In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at lea ...

s were also used.

Sea trials

''Fujian'' started sea trials in May 2024. The first occurred from 1 to 8 May. The PLAN acknowledged that trials were underway in December 2024. ''Fujian'' returned to Jiangnan pier near Shanghai from its fifth sea trial on 3 December 2024, after having left on 18 November 2024; this was its longest trial out of the five trials conducted up until December 2024. Photographs of the returning carrier showed rubber markings from tyres on the deck, a possible indicator that real aircraft were involved in the fifth trial. The Fujian returned from its sixth sea trial on 7 January 2025. On 18 March 2025, the Fujian set out on its seventh sea trial. Because catapult testing was expected to take place, expectations that the ship could be commissioned in 2025 were raised, should the tests be deemed a success. The carrier returned from its seventh sea trial on 1 April 2025. Fujian carried out its eighth sea trial at the end of May 2025, with ship-borne

stealth fighters, fitted for catapult launch, carrying out tests and flights at the same time.

References

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujian 2022 ships Aircraft carriers of the People's Liberation Army Navy