It owes its name to the Chinese province closest to Taiwan: Fujian, to the southwest of the Asian giant. Although its entry into service will still take a few more years, it has been launched on June 17, 2022 from the Jin Jiang shipyards (Shanghai) to sail, precisely, the waters of the Strait that bears the name of the country that has become in the historic dispute between Beijing and Washington (the Taiwan Strait, with a width of 180 m).
The ‘Fujian’ is a type 003, second generation, and equipped for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China. It is the first Chinese aircraft carrier to use a CATOBAR (integrated electric propulsion) system and electromagnetic catapults for launching fighters, as well as the only one designed and built outside the United States.
In contrast, on the other two previous aircraft carriers (the Liaoning and the Shandong) the planes are conventionally propelled and are launched with ski jumps. At the same time, it has also become the most sophisticated and modern of the Chinese Navy’s three aircraft carriers.
Experts speculated a lot about what the size of the new aircraft carrier would be. At first, it was expected to be between 80,000 and 85,000 tons. Finally, the ‘Fujian’ weighs 80,000 tons, its length is 320 meters and its flight deck has a width of 78 meters. She has been compared to the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class ships and the US Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers.
As for the fighter fleet it can host, defense journalist Kyle Mizokami predicted in 2018 that the carrier would operate an air group of 40 fighter jets, as well as propeller-driven transport and airborne early warning and control aircraft. In addition, it is equipped with locking devices and has displacement at full load. Analyst Robert Farley believes the Type 003 will be the “largest and most advanced aircraft carrier ever built outside the United States” when completed.
Its construction began around 2015, although the exact date is unknown. The American magazine ‘The National Interest’ reported that the works began in 2015, while ‘The Diplomat’ said that the “initial work” began in February 2016 or the ‘Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard Group’, in March 2017. According to According to some reports, work had to be delayed to June 2017 due to tests of both electromagnetic and steam catapults. By November 2017, the Chinese Navy had reportedly developed an integrated electric propulsion system—instead of nuclear power—to power the electromagnetic catapults, allowing work to resume.
In July 2021, satellite imagery showed construction progressing, with key elements such as the superstructure and three catapult launch systems being added to the hull. The aircraft carrier has been launched with a hull number of 18, and China expects it to enter service by 2023.
