According to the U.S. publication Defense Watch, on November 7, China's first super aircraft carrier Fujian officially entered service. This is a significant moment in the history of China's aircraft carrier development and marks a new turning point in the global maritime power structure.

The article takes China's Fujian and the U.S. Ford as examples of the latest aircraft carriers from both countries, systematically comparing their technical parameters, system structures, cost efficiency, and combat potential. It argues that the Fujian is the first time a non-U.S. country has had an integrated combat platform comparable to the U.S. military in the aircraft carrier field.

The report points out that although the Ford has a larger displacement and longer nuclear-powered endurance, it lags behind in terms of cost, maintenance cycle, system integration, and the generation of carrier-based aircraft.

The article especially emphasizes that China's Fujian has already reached the same level as the United States in terms of electromagnetic catapult systems, integrated power architecture, carrier-based aircraft performance, and construction efficiency, and even leads in some aspects.

Especially noteworthy is that the Fujian's J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft and KJ-600 early warning aircraft will enable China's aircraft carrier to form a truly stealthy operational formation. However, the U.S. F-35C has not yet been fully compatible with the Ford-class system.

The article concludes by stating that if China's sixth-generation carrier-based aircraft successfully enters service, China's aircraft carrier force will surpass the U.S. by 10 years in the 2030s, thus forming a generational gap.

Chinese Aircraft Carrier

The core content of the article's comparison focuses on the multi-dimensional advantages of the Fujian over the Ford.

Firstly, power and energy efficiency. The Fujian adopts the world's first medium-voltage direct current integrated power system, which can highly concentrate and flexibly distribute the ship's electricity, reserving significant redundancy for electromagnetic catapults, laser defense, drone charging, and future electric weapons.

This system is more modern and efficient than the Ford's nuclear reactor steam turbine scheme. Although its range is not as good as that of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, it is more suitable for China's near-sea defense and regional sea control.

Another aspect is the maintenance cycle. Every time the Ford goes to sea, it requires high maintenance costs and a long repair time. In contrast, the Fujian uses conventional power and modular systems, allowing it to deploy multiple times within a shorter period, resulting in higher service efficiency.

The cost and construction speed also highlight the advantages of China's aircraft carrier. The Fujian costs about $6 billion, only one-third of the Ford's, demonstrating the high industrialization and cost control capability of China's shipbuilding system.

The most critical factor is the carrier-based aircraft. The Fujian is equipped with the J-15T, J-15DT electronic warfare aircraft, J-35 stealth aircraft, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, forming a complete stealth aviation group. Meanwhile, the Ford still relies on the fourth-generation F/A-18E/F aircraft.

Moreover, due to the significant reduction in the U.S. F/A-XX project, it means that China will gain an advantage in the generation of carrier-based aircraft in the coming years.

Chinese Aircraft Carrier

The article believes that these factors combined make the Fujian capable of competing with the U.S. flagship aircraft carrier right from the start of its service. It even states that it is expected that China will lead the U.S. in aircraft carriers by at least ten years.

The article points out that the U.S. six-generation carrier-based aircraft development schedule is clearly lagging behind. While China is leading in aircraft, the Fujian was designed from the beginning to accommodate stealth and unmanned systems. In contrast, the U.S. Ford class faces technical compatibility issues during upgrades.

China is not catching up with the existing U.S. system but directly designing a future-oriented system. Once it is implemented, it can form a generational gap against the U.S.

Although the U.S. aircraft carrier system is vast, it is a complex product that has been carried over from the Cold War era, expensive, and highly dependent on global bases and a nuclear power network.

In contrast, China's aircraft carrier construction is a new system that started from scratch since the 21st century, naturally possessing structural advantages of high efficiency.

The Ford has fallen into the trap of excessive system complexity while pursuing technological accumulation, with poor compatibility between subsystems and high maintenance costs. In contrast, the Fujian adopts a top-down system planning approach, along with China's industrial system's manufacturing cost and scheduling capabilities, making the Fujian not only low-cost but also able to quickly form a fleet scale in a short time.

American Aircraft Carrier

Twenty years ago, China was still modifying the Soviet-era half-finished aircraft carrier Varyag; eight years ago, the domestically built Shandong aircraft carrier was just launched; now, the Fujian has become the second aircraft carrier in the world and the only non-American one with an electromagnetic catapult and stealth carrier-based aircraft system.

This leap is not an accidental engineering miracle but a reflection of the comprehensive maturity of the national industrial, scientific research, and strategic planning system.

The significance of an aircraft carrier goes beyond a single ship. It is a comprehensive symbol of a nation's technology, management, manufacturing, and industrial collaboration.

China's transformation from having no aircraft carriers to building the world's most advanced aircraft carriers indicates a real systemic breakthrough in the highest level of modern military industry.

This means that China's industrial system has shifted from a learner to a rule-maker, forcing the world to seriously face a fact: the balance of maritime power in the future will no longer be decided by a single country.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570569747042091560/

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