On the 12th, Chinese authorities confirmed that China's first catapult aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has passed through the Taiwan Strait. Military experts note that this signifies the day the Fujian is officially commissioned is drawing ever closer, and that China's 'Three-Carrier Era' is within reach. Compared to the other two carriers, the Fujian boasts even stronger comprehensive combat capabilities.
On the 12th, military expert Zhang Jun-she told the Global Times that China started its aircraft carrier program from scratch. Judging from the 'developmental history' of the Shandong, there are indeed lessons for the growth of the Fujian. The Fujian's 'first long-distance voyage show' indicates that the day of its formal commissioning is getting closer and closer.
'Based on the spokesperson's statements, the Fujian has already begun cross-sea zone training. On one hand, this means that all technical performances of the Fujian are now mature, and it has begun to leave familiar waters to test its long-range abilities at sea. Previously, the Fujian carried out sea trials in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea; now, training in the unfamiliar waters of the South China Sea is a comprehensive test and improvement of the carrier's long-range navigation, adaptability to complex environments, and the coordination level of its crew,' Zhang Jun-she said.
According to reports, the Fujian is China’s first fully independently designed and constructed catapult-type aircraft carrier. It features a flat, elongated flight deck and is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear, with a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons. The Fujian was launched on June 17, 2022; at around 8 a.m. on May 1, 2024, the Fujian cast off from the dock at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, embarking on its maiden sea trial in designated waters.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Headquarters released information on the 11th, stating that at around 1 p.m. on the 11th, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force discovered the Chinese Navy aircraft carrier Fujian, along with the missile destroyers Hangzhou and Jinan, sailing southwest in waters about 200 kilometers northwest of the Diaoyu Islands. This was the first time the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force had spotted the Fujian.