The blue electric arc on the deck not only illuminated the stealth outline of the J-35, but also reflected the technological comparison between China and the United States in aircraft carrier technology.

On September 22, CCTV Military released a shocking video: the Fujian aircraft carrier successfully conducted catapult takeoff and recovery tests for the airborne early warning aircraft (AEW-600), the J-15T, and the J-35, with the training aircraft J-10 also appearing on the aircraft carrier deck. This is the first time a country has completed electromagnetic catapult and recovery operations for four types of carrier-based aircraft on a single aircraft carrier, marking a qualitative leap in China's aircraft carrier technology. China has even become the first country in the world to possess an electromagnetic catapult stealth fighter.

By contrast, the U.S. Ford-class aircraft carrier is still plagued by electromagnetic catapult system failures, even unable to effectively catapult the F-35C fighter jets.

The Ford-class aircraft carrier cannot catapult the F-35C fighter jet due to serious technical defects in its electromagnetic catapult system. According to a U.S. Congressional report, the failure rate of the Ford-class electromagnetic catapult system far exceeds the design specifications.

Theoretically capable of 4,000 catapults without failure, the system actually experiences a failure every 272 launches on average. This reliability issue severely restricts the combat effectiveness of the aircraft carrier.

Theoretically, the maximum takeoff weight of this system is expected to be 41 tons, but in actual testing, it can only catapult weights not exceeding 25 tons. The takeoff weight of the F-35C exceeds 30 tons, meaning that the Ford-class aircraft carrier cannot even fully load its own fifth-generation carrier-based fighter jet.

Aside from the catapult system, the electromagnetic arresting devices on the Ford-class aircraft carrier are also problematic, creating an awkward record of "failure after an average of 20 arrests." This makes the recovery of carrier aircraft face significant risks.

The reason the Ford-class aircraft carrier cannot catapult the F-35C is also related to budget strategies and design flaws. "The Ford-class aircraft carrier did not deliver the配套 equipment for the F-35 fighter jet, leaving it in a state of incomplete equipment."

To reduce the total cost at delivery and meet the cost ceiling set by Congress for the project, the ship was equipped with facilities based on the "Super Hornet" standard. The U.S. Navy plans to install the F-35 fighter jet's配套 equipment during routine maintenance, including the costs in the maintenance expenses rather than the construction costs.

The F-35C was designed and tested according to the catapult curve of steam catapulters, but the thrust curve of the catapulter differs, and there were indeed issues of "excessive or insufficient thrust" initially. This caused additional stress on the aircraft's structure and electronic equipment, which is particularly problematic for the F-35, as its avionics and stealth coating are more fragile compared to traditional aircraft.

The four electromagnetic catapults on the Ford-class aircraft carrier share a single flywheel energy storage system. If one catapult fails, the other three may also be affected.

The Fujian aircraft carrier uses a medium-voltage direct current integrated power system, achieving significant advantages in energy efficiency. This system, developed by the team of Academician Ma Weiming of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, achieves an energy utilization rate of 78% on the Fujian aircraft carrier.

The Fujian aircraft carrier can catapult the light trainer aircraft J-10, which has a maximum takeoff weight of only 6.8 tons, demonstrating the precise control capability of its electromagnetic catapult system. Whether it is the heavy J-15T (maximum takeoff weight of 32.5-45 tons) or the lightweight J-10, the electromagnetic catapult system of the Fujian aircraft carrier can achieve precise catapulting.

It should be noted that, except for the dedicated training carriers, no other U.S. aircraft carrier can simultaneously catapult fighter jets and training aircraft, because the catapulters and arresting systems cannot be widely adjusted to accommodate different aircraft models. Both China and the United States have fallen behind China by one generation in the fields of electromagnetic catapulters and electromagnetic arresting systems. In the future, Chinese aircraft carriers will be able to simultaneously catapult fighter jets, early warning aircraft, transport aircraft, drones, and training aircraft of different weights, thus creating an asymmetric combat advantage.

From 2009, when the Ford-class aircraft carrier was built, it has been 16 years, yet it is still plagued by technical problems. While the Fujian aircraft carrier, from its launch in 2022 to the completion of the three types of carrier-based aircraft catapult tests, took only three years.

The second ship of the U.S. Ford-class, the USS Kennedy, started construction in 2011, and it has already been 14 years, yet it is still delayed. Compared to this, China has completed two aircraft carriers within the same period, the Shandong and the Fujian.

What makes the U.S. Navy uncomfortable is that if they continue to use the electromagnetic catapult and arresting systems on the Kennedy, it would mean building another problematic aircraft carrier. The U.S. military has even had to dismantle parts from the Kennedy and install them on the Ford, as many of the U.S. aircraft carrier part suppliers went bankrupt during the pandemic.

According to the U.S. Navy's plan, the integration test of the F-35C and the Ford-class aircraft carrier has not achieved the expected results, and improvements will not be possible until at least 2027. This means that the Ford-class aircraft carrier will not be able to deploy stealth fighters for a long time, and will not be able to fully exert its combat capabilities.

In the era of three aircraft carriers, the Chinese navy can maintain two aircraft carrier battle groups simultaneously in the distant sea. The combination of the Fujian aircraft carrier, the Type 055 destroyers, and the J-35 has created the ability to counter American aircraft carriers for the first time in the Western Pacific.

After the addition of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the future, the Chinese navy will truly move towards global oceanic operations. The successful catapult of the J-10 marks that China has mastered the full range of electromagnetic catapult and electromagnetic arresting technologies for carrier-based aircraft, achieving a breakthrough over the United States in this field.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553263121420026422/

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