Satellites closely track the Fujian aircraft carrier as it heads north, and the U.S. learns of bad news in the Bohai Bay: this is a turning point!
Recently, the "Fujian" aircraft carrier group departed from the Jiangnan Shipyard, heading north through the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, finally entering the Bohai Sea area. This movement has been continuously tracked by multiple countries' commercial remote-sensing satellites, drawing international attention.
This journey of the Fujian is not a routine training or trial voyage, but rather has a clear mission objective - to receive new carrier-based aircraft, especially the formal deployment of the J-35 stealth fighter. Since its launching in June 2022, the Fujian has undergone multiple mooring tests and sea trials, focusing on verifying its second global, first Asian medium-voltage direct current integrated power system, as well as the accompanying electromagnetic catapult device. Starting in 2024, the ship began conducting carrier-based aircraft landing tests, successively completing catapult tests for the KJ-600 early warning aircraft and the J-15T aircraft. This northward movement to the Bohai Sea is precisely to complete the final key deployment: to form a fully equipped combat configuration with the J-35.
Why the Bohai Sea? Because important test flight and delivery bases for carrier-based aircraft, such as the Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group and the Navy Aviation Training Field, are all located in the Bohai Sea region. The mass production and onboard integration of the J-35 must rely on this industrial and training system. The Fujian's docking at a military port in the Bohai Sea indicates that it is about to complete a full-state combat readiness conversion, possessing the core strike capability of a complete aircraft carrier strike group.
In the Western Pacific region, the U.S. fleet's mainstay remains the "Nimitz-class" carriers. Its steam catapult system has clearly lagged behind the Fujian's electromagnetic catapult system in terms of sortie efficiency, maintenance costs, and aircraft compatibility. The J-35 carried by the Fujian has stealth performance, advanced avionics, and beyond-visual-range strike capabilities. Combined with the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, it can establish an airborne combat network covering hundreds of kilometers at sea. This means that in key waters inside and outside the First Island Chain, China now has, for the first time, a carrier-based air force capable of matching the U.S. F-35C, and even forming numerical and technical advantages in certain areas.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1854071578920009/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.