The modernisation included building several aircraft carriers besides submarines, frigates and assault ships as part of its efforts to expand its global influence.Īccording to one estimate, China is building almost a naval ship a month. In a major rejig of its military doctrine, China since 2013 stepped up the development of the navy with a massive budget while cutting down the number of army troops. Perhaps PLAN may begin sending aircraft carriers to the Indian Ocean by 2025.Īlso read | US is there for India, says Biden administration Naval experts say Fujian may take some time for operationalisation. It is also modernising Pakistan’s Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. China has also acquired the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka as a debt swap for 99 years. China has already expanded its naval base at Djibouti in the horn of Africa to berth aircraft carriers. The launch of Fujian could provide leeway for PLAN to step out of the region and head to India’s backyard, the Indian Ocean, where the Indian Navy has a sizable presence. However, the launch of Fujian was expected to provide more room for China to operate in the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits which have strategic significance for China where it is pitted against periodic US naval incursions, including the aircraft carriers.Įxperts say the fast-paced construction of aircraft carriers by China has strategic significance for India too. The planes were considered to be a big drag. But the J-15 aircraft which China currently operates for its aircraft carriers were regarded a major problem for the PLAN as each plane weighed about 18 tonnes, too heavy for carriers in the long run. The Type 003 warship with a hull number of 18 is the first carrier in China’s fleet to use an electromagnetic catapult to launch planes from the deck, which is faster than the older steam catapult system. Ford-class carriers.Ĭhina’s other two aircraft carriers, which are equipped with ski-jump take-off ramps, the Fujian features a flat-top flight deck. It is also used on the US Navy’s Gerald R. It is more energy-efficient and reduces maintenance.
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It has a full displacement of more than 80,000 tonnes, as much as 20,000 tonnes more than the other two aircraft carriers.Īlso read | US pressures Iran by targeting Chinese, UAE companiesĮMALS was regarded by Indian naval experts as a major leap forward by the Chinese navy as currently, only the US has such an advanced one. The Fujian, which is the “first fully domestically developed and constructed” aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), has a flat, straight flight deck and arresting device. Officials then cut the ribbon marking the launch of the third aircraft carrier, after which the massive vessel left the dock. The Fujian was launched at a short but festive ceremony where the naming certificate of the vessel was given to the top officer receiving the delivery of the aircraft carrier. The next aircraft carrier China plans to build is expected to be nuclear-powered. China plans to have around five aircraft carriers, according to the official media.
Fujian is the name of China’s eastern coastal province of Fujian.Ĭhina’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was a refit of the Soviet-era ship commissioned in 2012, followed by the indigenously built 2nd aircraft carrier Shandong in 2019.
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