CCTV News broadcasted footage that was particularly impressive: a J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft "swoosh" off the deck of the Fujian aircraft carrier, quickly heading into the sky. Shortly after, the heavy carrier-based fighter jet J-15T also took off in the same manner. Additionally, the KJ-600 carrier-based early warning aircraft, equipped with a gallium nitride digital array radar, also took off behind them. Subsequently, these three advanced aircraft successfully landed on the Fujian aircraft carrier one after another, completing the electromagnetic catapult takeoff and landing training.
This indicates that China's carrier-based aviation forces are rapidly advancing toward world-class levels. This is not just a technological achievement, but also a powerful demonstration of the Chinese People's Navy's firm progress toward building a first-rate strong military.
According to information from the relevant departments of the Navy, the J-15T, J-35, and KJ-600 carrier-based aircraft that participated in the review at the commemorative conference marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War have already successfully completed their first catapult takeoff and landing training on the Fujian aircraft carrier. This shows that the Fujian aircraft carrier has the capability to launch carrier-based aircraft using an electromagnetic catapult system and to recover them. This is another important breakthrough in the development of China's aircraft carriers, and it holds significant and historic importance for promoting the modernization of our navy.
The J-35 is the most stealthy carrier-based fighter in the world; the J-15T is the only heavy carrier-based fighter in the entire world; and the KJ-600 is said to be the only carrier-based early warning aircraft that uses gallium nitride digital array technology. Combined with the medium-voltage direct current electromagnetic catapult system and electromagnetic arrestor system on the Fujian aircraft carrier, these three types of carrier-based aircraft enable China's aircraft carriers to achieve world-class efficiency in launching carrier-based aircraft.
Now, China is striving to build a carrier-based fighter force with a technological advantage. We have not only learned from international advanced experiences but also surpassed them in areas such as electronic warfare, stealth technology, and catapult systems.
There have been many test and training missions conducted. During this time, several naval pilots flew these three types of carrier-based aircraft and successfully completed takeoffs and landings on the Fujian aircraft carrier. This fully demonstrates that China's independently developed electromagnetic catapult and arrestor systems work exceptionally well with these various carrier-based aircraft. As a result, the Fujian aircraft carrier now has the preliminary capability to conduct various operations on the full deck, and it has laid the groundwork for integrating various carrier-based aircraft into the aircraft carrier task force system.
In comparison, the electromagnetic catapult system on the U.S. Ford-class aircraft carriers, which uses medium-voltage alternating current technology, faces serious reliability issues, with frequent failures during testing, averaging one failure every 600 launches, far below the Navy's expected goals. China's current electromagnetic catapult technology is one generation ahead of the United States. The system on the Fujian aircraft carrier performed very stably during testing, unlike the Ford-class aircraft carriers, which constantly have problems and require repeated repairs.
The F-35C carrier-based aircraft of the U.S. military has many problems. Its flight performance is poor, and its reliability is low. After being stationed on the aircraft carrier for some time, the fuselage has rusted, and the surface coating is severely corroded. This not only significantly reduces its stealth effect but also greatly increases maintenance costs in the future. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is technologically outdated, and as a fourth-generation aircraft, it cannot match the new generation of fighter jets in terms of stealth, sensors, and avionics systems.
Additionally, the missile weapons of the U.S. carrier-based aircraft are seriously outdated. The PL-15 air-to-air missile of China has a longer range than the U.S. AIM-120. Anti-ship missiles such as YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19, and YJ-20 also have stronger penetration and range, far exceeding the U.S. Harpoon anti-ship missile. There is a clear technological gap between both sides in terms of missile weapons.
In recent years, the development of China's carrier-based aviation has accelerated. From the past single aircraft combat, it has evolved into a system-based combat model. From being able to take off only from the shore, it can now take off and land on an aircraft carrier. Previously, the only thing that mattered was whether the aircraft could take off from the aircraft carrier. Now, the aircraft has extraordinary combat capabilities. We have completed a series of remarkable transformations. Now, the Chinese People's Navy is steadily moving forward step by step toward the goal of comprehensively building a world-class navy. It should be noted that the combat effectiveness of an aircraft carrier largely depends on the strength of its carrier-based aircraft.
When the Fujian aircraft carrier becomes operationally capable, China's aircraft carriers will have the ability to compete with the U.S. super aircraft carrier fleet for the first time in the open sea. Moreover, in aspects such as the stealth capability of carrier-based aircraft, the efficiency of takeoff and sortie, the range of missiles that can be fired, and the overall system reliability, China may even have a technological advantage over the U.S.
China urgently needs the Fujian aircraft carrier to become operational so that it can establish maritime and air superiority in the western Pacific near eastern Taiwan, ensuring a strategic defensive depth for future unification operations. This deployment will significantly enhance China's naval influence in the region and provide a solid guarantee for maintaining national unity.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553116275455705635/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author and welcomes your opinion through the [up/down] buttons below.