China’s new aircraft carrier conducts its first sea exercises

The Chinese military recently completed its first open-sea training with fighter jets from its new aircraft carrier Fujian since its recent commissioning, maneuvers aimed at testing the electromagnetic catapult system and coordination between ships and aircraft.

According to state-run CCTV, a combat group led by the Fujian and integrated by several vessels, including the Yanan and Tongliao ships, returned in recent days to a naval base in the southern city of Sanya after concluding a cycle of exercises at sea.

During the mission, several types of embarked aircraft, including J-35, J-15T and J-15DT fighters and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, performed multiple catapult launches and deck landings, which allowed to verify the aircraft carrier’s capabilities in terms of electromagnetic launch, as well as the compatibility between the ship and the different aircraft models.

You can also read: Chile will be left without glaciers at the end of the century that can mitigate a new megadrought

A Fujian officer cited by CCTV pointed out that, as training with already installed equipment progresses, the crew “gains greater knowledge” about the performance of the catapult and braking systems, handles the equipment more smoothly, and strengthens coordination between different positions and pilots, which lays the foundation for “safe and efficient” aircraft launch and takeoff operations.

The combat group also carried out formation navigation exercises and joint search and rescue practices between ships and aircraft, according to the media, which did not specify the date of the tests.

CCTV indicated that this training cycle, described as a planned activity in the work plan, seeks to verify the results of troop instruction and enhance their ability to “protect China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

The Fujian is the first Chinese aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults and the third to join the country’s Navy.

Designed and built entirely in China, it was launched and named in June 2022 and entered service last month during a flag-handing ceremony on the southern island of Hainan.

Its two predecessors, the Liaoning and the Shandong, are derived from Soviet designs and use ski-jump ramps instead of catapults, a system that limits the fuel and armament load of the aircraft.

The introduction of the Fujian thus marks a significant technological leap within the Chinese military’s modernization program, which aims to have several units of this type in the coming years.