CNS Fujian achieves milestone with electromagnetic launch of advanced Naval aircraft

The People's Liberation Army Navy has launched and recovered three types of aircraft — the J-35 and J-15T naval fighter jets, and the KJ-600 early-warning and control plane — from its supercarrier CNS Fujian using cutting-edge electromagnetic systems.

This achievement marks the Fujian as the world's second aircraft carrier capable of using electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear to facilitate aircraft operations.

According to the Navy, these three models conducted numerous takeoff and landing operations during tests and training voyages before the V-Day parade on Sept 3 in Beijing, where they participated in a ceremonial flypast. The parade also marked the public debut of the J-35, the Navy's first stealth fighter, and the KJ-600, the service's first fixed-wing early-warning and control plane deployed on carriers.

The Navy stated that these operations have verified the vessel's catapult and arresting gear systems, which were independently developed by China using electromagnetic technology, can effectively operate with multiple types of carrier-based aircraft.

This development also indicates that the Fujian has achieved initial full-deck operational capability, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent integration of carrier-based aircraft into the carrier strike group, the Navy noted.

The Fujian, classified as Type 003, was officially launched on June 17, 2022, at China State Shipbuilding Corp's Jiangnan Shipyard, representing the pinnacle of Chinese naval technology. Since then, the vessel, which displaces more than 80,000 metric tons of water, has undergone several sea trials and is nearly ready to be commissioned.

Unlike its predecessors — CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong, which use ski-jump ramps for aircraft takeoff — the Fujian is the first Chinese carrier to adopt the high-efficiency electromagnetic launch system.

Designed by Aviation Industry Corp of China's Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute for carrier deployment, the J-35 can be launched by both the ski-jump takeoff systems used by the Liaoning and the Shandong, and the electromagnetic catapult on the Fujian. The radar-evading jet features a low-observable design, state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, a world-class radar, cutting-edge sensors, and a wide range of munition options.

The J-15T is a variant of the J-15 carrier-based combat plane that has been deployed on the Liaoning and the Shandong, with modifications specifically designed for electromagnetic systems-based operations.

The KJ-600 is the fourth fixed-wing early-warning and control plane deployed by the Navy, and also the largest, heaviest, and most capable of its kind to be used on Chinese aircraft carriers. It was co-developed by aircraft designers at AVIC and radar researchers from China Electronics Technology Group Corp.