According to official Chinese media reports, China's latest and most advanced aircraft carrier has successfully launched three types of aircraft using its new electromagnetic catapult system, and for the first time released footage of the catapulting process to commemorate this technological breakthrough.

In the footage released by China's state broadcaster CCTV on Monday, China's fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter, the 4.5-generation J-15T fighter, and the KJ-600 airborne early warning and command aircraft were seen taking off from the Fujian aircraft carrier through its advanced catapult system, known as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).

Official media praised these tests as another "breakthrough" in the development of China's aircraft carriers and a "milestone" in advancing the transformation of the navy.

The other aircraft carrier in the world equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system is the U.S. Navy's newest Gerald R. Ford, which completed certification for flight deck operations using the electromagnetic catapult system in the spring of 2022.

This development comes as a U.S. congressional delegation is holding talks in Beijing, aiming to strengthen bilateral exchanges including military cooperation, marking the first visit by a U.S. congressional delegation to China in six years.

Former U.S. Navy lieutenant and analyst Karl Schuster said that successful tests of both catapult takeoff and arrested landing on the Fujian aircraft carrier mean that the ship may be just weeks away from joining the People's Liberation Army Navy fleet.

In the footage released by China's state broadcaster CCTV, a J-15 fighter took off from the Fujian aircraft carrier using the electromagnetic catapult system at an undisclosed location. (CCTV)

Schuster said that further certifications may take place in the coming months, and final trials regarding the Fujian aircraft carrier's coordination capabilities with the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Rocket Force may take place next spring.

The electromagnetic catapult system allows aircraft to take off with greater weapon and fuel loads compared to China's other two older aircraft carriers, Shandong and Liaoning, which use ski-jump takeoff decks. The electromagnetic catapult system enables the Fujian's aircraft to strike enemy targets from farther distances.

Analysts say that the Fujian's ability to launch larger, more heavily armed aircraft with longer ranges will expand its operational reach beyond previous Chinese aircraft carriers, providing the People's Liberation Army Navy with so-called "blue water" capabilities.

Although the electromagnetic catapult system places the Fujian on par with the U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford (which uses steam-powered catapults for its 10 older Nimitz-class carriers), China's aircraft carrier does not use nuclear power like all U.S. carriers.

Nuclear power allows U.S. carriers to remain at sea as long as supplies for the crew are sufficient. The Fujian uses conventional fuel, meaning it must dock at ports or be refueled at sea by tanker aircraft.

As China continues to enhance its naval power, it has also become more active in regional waters from the Taiwan Strait to the East China Sea and South China Sea, drawing frequent criticism from the United States and its regional allies, such as Japan and the Philippines.

On Tuesday, Adam Smith, a senior Democratic member of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services and leader of the Beijing delegation, stated that the military relationship between the U.S. and China is "particularly concerning."

"China is the country with the fastest-growing military and nuclear forces in the world. The U.S. has the largest army and the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. If we cannot regularly communicate our capabilities and intentions, and understand each other, then miscalculations and misunderstandings could lead to bigger problems, which would be very dangerous," Smith told reporters in Beijing.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553526805131690550/

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