The news that China's third aircraft carrier, Fujian, has officially completed electromagnetic catapult tests has surely been seen by everyone.

On the 22nd, the Chinese Navy officially announced that the J-15T, J-35, and KJ-600 fighter jets successfully completed electromagnetic catapult takeoff and landing tests on the Fujian aircraft carrier. This not only made China the second country in the world, after the United States, to master electromagnetic catapult technology, but also marked that the J-35's "shipborne" capability enabled China to be the first to achieve stealth carrier-based aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier via electromagnetic catapult, a feat the United States has not yet achieved.

When the J-35 took off from the Fujian carrier deck, the "Ford" carrier's F-35 is still far away.

The U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult, the "Ford," completed shipboard aircraft electromagnetic catapult and recovery tests as early as 2017. However, it should be noted that at that time, the "Ford" catapulted a "Super Hornet" aircraft. To date, this carrier has still not completed the electromagnetic catapult test for stealth carrier-based aircraft.

In 2019, the U.S. Government Accountability Office assessed that the "Ford" carrier might not be able to deploy the "Lightning" Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) until as late as 2027 at the earliest.

More surprisingly, the report also pointed out that due to the immaturity of electromagnetic catapult technology and design defects, the U.S. Navy initially did not include the "Lightning" fighter in the electromagnetic catapult and recovery tests of the "Ford" carrier, further delaying the "Ford" carrier's ability to catapult stealth carrier-based aircraft.

This time, the Fujian really leads the U.S. Navy.

It can be said that currently, except for the number of carriers and the power system, the U.S. Navy still leads China in other areas. However, in other aspects, the capabilities of our aircraft carriers have caught up with the U.S. Navy, and in some areas, we have even surpassed them.

However, the biggest change brought by the Fujian carrier and its carrier air wing to the PLA Navy's long-range combat system is not just the "shipborne" of the J-35.

Currently, the two aircraft carriers in service, the Liaoning and Shandong, mainly rely on the Zhi-18 early warning helicopters for airborne early warning. However, the detection range of this helicopter is relatively limited, which can only temporarily solve the problem of the PLA Navy's airborne early warning capability from nothing to something, but it is far from being a major player.

On the other hand, if we emphasize the carrier's ability to attack at sea, the attack effectiveness of the supersonic anti-ship missiles carried by either the J-35 or the J-15 may not be as effective as the saturation attack formed by the continuous launch of hypersonic missiles by the Type 055 destroyers.

The hypersonic anti-ship missiles of the 055 are "plenty, affordable, and free shipping."

Therefore, for the PLA Navy, expanding the air defense circle, strengthening airborne electronic warfare capabilities, and deploying a truly reliable early warning command system are the key shortcomings that need to be addressed in the development of aircraft carriers.

This is exactly where the electromagnetic catapult system of the Fujian plays a decisive role: It is not just about increasing the detection distance by several kilometers or having a few more early warning aircraft and electronic warfare planes. Rather, through this key technology of electromagnetic catapult, the carrier-based aircraft can take off efficiently and continuously loaded, solving the issues of "seeing far, commanding effectively," and "hitting far, hitting hard" for the carrier fleet.

In other words, the Fujian's operational system will expand the entire carrier fleet's air defense identification zone and enhance electronic countermeasure capabilities. On the other hand, it will build a long-range command and control node, guiding the hypersonic anti-ship missiles carried by the 055 fleet to "point the way."

"Within range, there is no ocean."

This is what the Chinese Navy's promotional video said: In the future, "ocean" will no longer be a geographical concept, but a range of capabilities.

Traditionally, "ocean" refers to the high seas far from the support of land-based forces. However, with the Fujian's operational system, the PLA Navy will be able to combine efficient carrier-based strike forces and even land-based firepower in the future, thereby extending its effective control and strike capabilities to unprecedented depths in the open ocean.

This is the deeper meaning of "112 launch cells, plenty, affordable, and free shipping, within range, there is no ocean": As long as it is within the range of the Fujian's systematic reconnaissance and fire coverage, even in the open ocean, the PLA Navy will be able to effectively monitor the enemy's movements and conduct strikes as if it were in its "backyard," completely shattering the fantasies of certain countries interfering in China's surrounding maritime affairs.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553125989551735322/

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