The Fujian: China’s 3rd Aircraft Carrier Preps for “Sea Trials” and Operations

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington D.C.) China’s third aircraft carrier is now prepping for “sea trials” and operational service, a development which likely generates no shortage of concern at the Pentagon given the pace at which the PRC is revving up shipbuilding and accelerating fleet expansion. China has in recent months and years been adding new shipyards and generating new classes of Type 075 amphibs, Type 055 quasi-stealthy new destroyers and of course new aircraft carriers as well.

It is certainly now well known that, in terms of pure numbers, China’s Naval fleet is larger than the US Navy, a fact however which does not necessarily translate into maritime overmatch or superiority. Nevertheless, the concern is significant given the pace at which China is adding new ships due to its pace of ship-construction and well-known civil-military fusion, and there are likely many unanswered questions about the extent to which the PLA Navy has the technological capability to truly challenge the US Navy.

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The Fujian

Nonetheless, China’s growing carrier fleet is concerning for a number of key reasons, both in terms of the PLA’s strategic approach and carrier design. China’s third aircraft carrier, called the Fujian, is progressing quickly toward operational service. In fact a January 2023 report in the Eurasian Times says China’s Fujian will conduct “sea trials” this year, a critical step toward full deployment and operational status. 

The Fujian has a larger deck-space which, in a manner similar to the USS Ford, is likely designed to enable a much higher sortie rate and power-project capability when compared to its first two carriers. An even larger concern with the Fujian, however, may relate to its reported use of US Navy Ford-class-like electromagnetic catapult technology. Both China’s first two carriers incorporate steam catapults, yet the emerging 3rd Chinese carrier appears to “copy,” “mirror,” or “match” the US-Ford-class-like electromagnetic catapult. Reports from China’s Global Times Newspaper and South China Morning post report that the Fujian is indeed being built with an electromagnetic catapult.

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