(CNN ) — China’s newest, largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, took a big step toward joining the world’s largest naval fleet on Wednesday as it departed Shanghai for its first sea trials.
The naval evaluation is expected to take place in the East China Sea, about 130 kilometers from the Jiangnan Shipyard, where the aircraft carrier has been under construction for more than six years, according to the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.
“The sea trials will mainly test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier’s electrical and propulsion systems,” read an announcement by state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday.
The warship was launched in 2022 and has “completed its mooring tests, fitting out works and equipment adjustments” until the final sea trials, Xinhua said.
With a displacement of 80,000 metric tons, Fujian dwarfs the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) two active aircraft carriers, the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning. Only the United States Navy operates aircraft carriers larger than the Fujian.
A tugboat moves China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, away from a dock in Shanghai, east China, on May 1, 2024. (Credit: Li Tang/Xinhua)
“The Fujian sea trials represent an important milestone for the PLAN, marking its entry into the small club of navies with world-class carrier aviation capabilities,” said John Bradford, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and International Affairs. . The key feature of the Fujian is an electromagnetic catapult system that will allow it to launch larger and heavier aircraft than the Shandong and Liaoning, which use a ski jump-type launch method.
The key feature of the Fujian is an electromagnetic catapult system that will allow it to launch larger and heavier aircraft than the Shandong and Liaoning, which use a ski jump-type launch method.
Analysts say Fujian’s ability to launch larger, more heavily armed fighter jets at farther ranges will give the carrier greater combat range than its predecessors in the Chinese fleet, providing the PLAN with so-called ” blue waters.”
“These sea tests mark the first major step in China’s development of the ability to project sea-based air power into deep ocean areas,” said Carl Schuster, former US Navy captain and former director of operations at the Joint Defense Center. US Pacific Command Intelligence.
Comparison with US aircraft carriers
The electromagnetic catapult system puts Fujian on par with the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s only active aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult system. The US Navy’s 10 oldest aircraft carriers, the Nimitz class, use steam catapults to launch aircraft.
However, all American carriers will retain two key advantages over the Fujian: power and size.
American aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, allowing them to remain at sea for the duration of crew supplies, while the Fujian is conventionally fueled, meaning it must call at a port or be met by a tanker in high seas to refuel.
As for the US Navy’s size advantage over the Fujian, the Ford displaces 100,000 tons and the 10 Nimitz-class ships displace 87,000 metric tons. According to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), larger US ships can accommodate more aircraft, about 75, compared to the 60 planned for Fujian.
Analysts have also noted that US aircraft carriers have more catapults, a larger airway and more elevators to allow faster deployment of aircraft from the hangar deck below.
American aircraft carriers “remain in their own class,” Bradford said.
The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is seen from the air anchored in Italy in the Gulf of Trieste on September 18, 2023. (Credit: Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images)
Schuster said the current round of sea trials for Fujian is expected to last three to six days and will not include flight operations.
“The radars and communications equipment will undergo some testing, but the first sea trials always focus on hull integrity, propulsion and engineering, as problems there prevent everything else from working well,” Schuster said.
In total, analysts expect Fujian’s sea trials to last at least a year, with commissioning likely next year or in 2026. An article published in January on China’s Defense Ministry website He noted that the Liaoning underwent 10 sea trials and the Shandong nine before entering service.
When she joins the PLAN fleet, Fujian will become the icon of what is now the world’s largest naval force, with more than 340 warships and counting as Chinese shipyards build new warships at a frenetic pace.
“It will be the most visible symbol of growing Chinese naval power,” said Brian Hart, a member of the China Power Project at CSIS.
Meanwhile, the announcement of a fourth aircraft carrier for the Chinese fleet could occur shortly, as stated in March by the political commissar of the PLAN, Yuan Huazhi, according to a report by the state newspaper Global Times.
When that announcement is made, the question of whether China will have a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be answered, according to the report.
The US Navy already has three new Ford-class aircraft carriers under construction, the future John F Kennedy, Enterprise and Doris Miller.
