The Fujian ship has technology that has not previously been available elsewhere than in U.S. aircraft carriers. Fujian is also a message to Taiwan.
In China, a new aircraft carrier has been launched from a shipyard near Shanghai. Named the Fujian, the ship is China’s third and by far the most modern aircraft carrier.
The ship was launched at a colorful ceremony at Jiangnan Shipyard, attended by the leadership of the country’s military administration.
Fujian is the first aircraft carrier designed and built entirely in China. The country already has two support vessels, Liaoning and Shandong.
Liaoning was originally built in the Soviet Union. China bought it from Ukraine in 1998 and has modernized the platform to meet modern requirements. Shandong is built in China, but is largely based on the technology used in Liaoning.
From jumps to catapults
From Liaoning and Shandong, planes take to the air using “jumpers” built on deck. Fujian, on the other hand, has introduced technology that has so far only been used on modern U.S. vessels; electromagnetic catapult.
With two catapults built into the deck, the machines can be launched into the air even faster and with a larger load of fuel and weapons.
– He [Kiina] are truly committed to their support vessel program and they are constantly pushing beyond the limits of their performance, he describes.
Financial magazine Bloomberg (you switch to another service) According to experts interviewed by China, China is converging with smaller US-based aircraft carriers. However, they do not correspond to the most modern, Nimitz and Ford class ships.
They are larger and equipped with more catapults and airplane lifts, so they get planes into the air even faster.
Fujian is likely to have diesel engines as U.S. competitors move by nuclear power. For this reason, Fujian is not able to sail as far as nuclear-powered vessels without refueling breaks. However, this is not likely to be a problem for China, which, according to experts, will focus on securing its own neighborhood in developing its fleet.
It is in the mind of the Chinese leadership to constantly integrate Taiwan into mainland China. In this regard, the deployment of the Fujian aircraft carrier sends a message to Taiwan. Fujian is the province that is closest to the island of Taiwan.