We may be about to witness the official commissioning of the Fujian aircraft carrier.

On September 12, the Chinese Navy confirmed that China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, crossed the Taiwan Strait and headed to the South China Sea for scientific research tests and training missions. This is a normal arrangement in the process of building an aircraft carrier and is not targeted at any specific objective.

Although the Chinese Navy said this, it is clear to everyone that there is something unusual behind the Fujian's recent voyage.

This may be the last sea trial of the Fujian.

Some media pointed out that this is the ninth sea trial of the Fujian since its launch in 2022, and also the first cross-sea area training. Its route is surprisingly similar to that of the Shandong: In November 2019, the Shandong also crossed the Taiwan Strait and went to the South China Sea for training. Just one month later, the Shandong was officially commissioned into the PLA combat sequence in Sanya.

So far, the Fujian has completed eight rounds of comprehensive sea trials, with test areas covering navigation systems, power devices, full-speed navigation, emergency reverse gear, and more than a hundred system reliability enhancement exercises.

At the same time, according to information disclosed by the documentary "Struggle" in August this year, the Fujian has already completed the catapult test for carrier-based aircraft. Therefore, referring to the sea trial situation of the Shandong, this cross-sea area training of the Fujian is likely to be the last sea trial before being commissioned.

The Fujian has already launched, but the official footage has not been released yet.

However, based on the timeline of the last sea trial of the Shandong and its official delivery to the navy, it is unlikely that the Fujian will be announced as commissioned on the "September 18th Incident" memorial day on September 18, as it would be too tight in terms of time. A historically significant delivery date is likely to be set on National Day, October 1st this year.

This time, the Fujian sailing south from the Taiwan Strait has drawn attention from all sides. Previously, the Japanese Defense Agency had released a statement saying that around noon on the 11th, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force anti-submarine aircraft (P-3C) captured images of the Fujian aircraft carrier crossing the Taiwan Strait near the Ryukyu Islands.

It is worth noting that this time, the Japanese Defense Agency did not use the term "Kuznetsov-class" to refer to the Fujian aircraft carrier—previously, when reporting on the movements of the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers, the Japanese often labeled them as so-called "Kuznetsov-class" aircraft carriers.

Japan can no longer refer to our aircraft carriers as Kuznetsov-class this time.

We have previously mentioned that Japan's subtle intentions in naming our aircraft carriers can be seen as a deliberate act of disrespect or as a mindset of "burying one's head in the sand."

In the Japanese perception, most of China's weapons are copies of Russian weapons. Even though the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers differ fundamentally from the Russian Kuznetsov-class in operational positioning, radar and electronic systems, and onboard equipment, Japan prefers to ignore these differences rather than acknowledge the reality that China's conventional military technology has surpassed Russia's.

The emergence of the Fujian finally made it impossible for Japan to remain silent. Compared to China's previous two aircraft carriers, the Fujian features a straight, long flight deck and is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear. It has a full-load displacement of over 80,000 tons and stronger overall combat capabilities.

The Fujian is expected to be commissioned on October 1st.

The U.S. "Naval Industry" website believes that the Fujian is expected to carry up to 40 fixed-wing aircraft and 12 helicopters, including the J-35, various J-15 carrier-based aircraft, and the Airborne Early Warning-600 early warning aircraft.

These design features, which are completely different from the Liaoning and Shandong, as well as the configuration of the carrier-based aircraft squadrons, represent a qualitative leap in China's aircraft carrier technology and make it impossible for the Japanese Defense Agency to continue using the term "Kuznetsov-class" to deceive themselves.

For the Chinese Navy, the commissioning of the Fujian is of great significance.

After the Fujian is delivered, the Chinese Navy will formally enter the "three-aircraft-carrier era." That is, one is under maintenance, one is on standby and can be deployed at any time, and one is on maritime deployment, ensuring that the Chinese military always has a "backup force" for its aircraft carrier platforms. This will effectively enhance the Chinese Navy's long-range combat and strategic deterrence capabilities.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7549042783563121192/

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