September 11, 2025 – China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, recently crossed the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea for scientific research tests and training missions. Many people say that this move is like beating the opening drum for the Fujian to officially join the naval family, which feels very lively and important. Once the Fujian officially enters service, it will signify that China is about to enter an era where three aircraft carriers "stand guard together and show their might." However, this is just the beginning; there will definitely be more remarkable developments ahead.
If the Fujian is assigned a deployment mission, it would be no small matter, as it would have significant strategic implications. Especially now, when the U.S. Navy sometimes experiences gaps in its aircraft carrier deployments, during these times, the Fujian being in place will significantly enhance China's naval strength in the Western Pacific.
In 2019, there was a similar scenario. At that time, China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, crossed the Taiwan Strait on November 17th, heading towards the South China Sea for testing and training activities. It wasn't long before, on December 17, 2019, it was officially handed over to the navy in Sanya, Hainan. The development of the Shandong provides many references for the Fujian.
You can see that the Fujian's long journey indicates that its technical capabilities are already quite solid. Previously, it mainly operated in familiar waters such as the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, but now it has gone to the relatively unfamiliar South China Sea for comprehensive testing. This not only tests the aircraft carrier's long-range navigation capability, adaptability to complex environments, and crew coordination, but also paves the way for its official commissioning.
CCTV reported in August that the Fujian has entered the final stage before commissioning. Professor Fu Qianshao predicts that the Fujian will officially enter service in 2025. The South China Sea is vast, with hydrological conditions different from those of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, and holds significant strategic importance. This action saw the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force first spot the Fujian about 200 kilometers northwest of the Diaoyu Islands on Thursday afternoon, along with the destroyers Hangzhou and Jinan, sailing southwest. This indirectly shows that the Fujian is currently actively conducting long-range adaptability tests.
The Fujian is China's first aircraft carrier designed and built entirely independently. It uses a flat, straight flight deck, equipped with electromagnetic catapult and arresting systems, with a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons. It is the world's first conventional-powered aircraft carrier to adopt electromagnetic catapult technology, launched on June 17, 2022, and on May 1, 2024, the Fujian departed from Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai to conduct its first sea trial. Compared to the currently operational Liaoning and Shandong, the Fujian has stronger combat capabilities overall.
The most significant upgrade of the Fujian is not its larger size or increased displacement, but the installation of the catapult system. With this catapult system, aircraft takeoff becomes smoother, greatly improving the efficiency of aircraft launches and allowing them to fly farther, significantly increasing the operational range. This will greatly enhance the air power of the Chinese navy, making a big difference.
Now, the Chinese navy is gradually building a strong fleet in the Western Pacific, like an "invincible fleet." The situation for the U.S. is not good, as they often encounter periods when no aircraft carriers are available during their deployments, which has become a big problem for them.
Meanwhile, the Fujian is about to officially join the navy. The timing is very subtle, coinciding with a period when the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers are experiencing a gap in availability.
At this time, the Fujian's commissioning is like throwing a big stone into calm water, creating a significant ripple in military strategy, bringing a strong impact and influence. Now, the U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, many of which, such as the Nimitz-class, are getting old, and maintenance and repair times are increasing, causing frequent gaps in their deployments in the Western Pacific.
At this time, China has the Fujian, an aircraft carrier capable of launching aircraft via catapult. Combined with advanced platforms such as the high-speed missile-equipped Type 055 destroyers and Type 093 submarines, a nearly "invincible" fleet is about to form in the Western Pacific. This is not just a quantitative leap, but a comprehensive upgrade in technology and systems.
Firstly, the deployment of the Fujian off the eastern coast of Taiwan will help China establish a reliable strategic defensive depth. The Fujian's electromagnetic catapult system allows numerous aircraft to take off quickly. These aircraft can create a powerful aerial defense force, protecting the island of Taiwan within our own operational area.
This way, if the U.S. wants B-52 or B-1B strategic bombers to come from Guam to cause trouble, it won't be easy. The Fujian's capabilities will directly cut off their covert approach routes, forming a threat. Combined with the coverage of high-speed missiles like the DF-17, the Fujian's fleet can build a multi-layered defense network in the eastern waters of Taiwan, compressing the space for U.S. intervention and ensuring an active position in potential conflicts.
Secondly, with three aircraft carrier groups, the Chinese navy can now simultaneously deploy two aircraft carrier battle groups in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea, which has become a reality. Looking at the U.S., their aircraft carrier groups are aging, and after the retirement of the Enterprise, new carriers are not being supplemented quickly enough.
In this situation, with such deployment capabilities, the Chinese navy can firmly ensure control over air and sea superiority in the open ocean. The Liaoning and Shandong have proven the effectiveness of multi-carrier joint operations, and the addition of the Fujian will further divert the U.S. attention: while one group is holding back a force in the South China Sea, another group can deter potential opponents in the Indo-Pacific region. This not only enhances the global projection power of the Chinese navy but also achieves efficient strategic deterrence under limited resources.
Once the Fujian begins service, it will bring a tremendous improvement to the country's carrier-based aviation forces. By the time of the September 3rd grand military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese side fully demonstrated the Fujian's aviation squadron, including the J-35 stealth fighter, the J-15T heavy fighter, the J-15DT electronic warfare aircraft, and the KJ-600 carrier-based fixed-wing early warning aircraft. This demonstrates that the Fujian is ready for war upon entering service.
After deploying the J-35, China will possess the world's strongest carrier-based stealth fighter. Based on the FC-31 platform, it has fifth-generation stealth performance and supersonic cruise capability. Combined with the Fujian's catapult system, it can achieve higher sortie rates and a longer operational range. Meanwhile, the advantages of the catapult system will release the long-range strike potential of the J-15T: compared to the ski-jump takeoff of the Liaoning and Shandong, the J-15T can carry heavier payloads, executing anti-ship and precise ground attacks, further enhancing the firepower projection of the fleet.
More importantly, the introduction of the KJ-600 gives the Chinese aircraft carrier group a true situational awareness advantage. This early warning aircraft uses a fixed-wing design and is equipped with advanced active electronically scanned array radar. With this radar, it can detect stealth targets and other hard-to-detect threats hundreds of kilometers away.
This is very helpful in enhancing the combat capabilities of hypersonic missiles and carrier-based aircraft: the early warning aircraft acts like a "super eye" on the battlefield, quickly transmitting various battlefield information back. Relying on timely and accurate intelligence, it can guide missiles to accurately attack the U.S. aircraft carrier group. Moreover, the early warning aircraft can coordinate the J-35 to sneak in, thus forming a complete, flawless "kill chain" from target detection to attack. In the complex electromagnetic environment of the Western Pacific, this situational awareness advantage will allow the Chinese fleet to shift from passive defense to active hunting, ensuring an upper hand against the U.S. "Aegis" system.
The Fujian going out to sea to "test its skills" is not just about testing technology, but also about showing China's strategic attitude. Once China enters the era of "three aircraft carriers working together," it will be able to seize the initiative in the Western Pacific during the time when U.S. aircraft carriers are not available, and build a solid defense network extending from Taiwan to the South China Sea.
With the catapult aircraft carrier, hypersonic weapons, and advanced carrier-based aircraft, the Chinese navy now has the initial appearance of an "invincible fleet," which will force the U.S. and its allies to rethink their troop deployments and strategic arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region. Going forward, once the Fujian is fully integrated into the naval operational system, the Chinese navy's steps toward the open ocean will surely be more decisive, and its determination to safeguard national interests will be increasingly resolute, leaving no room for doubt.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550128120533844521/
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