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Hayley Wong

The Fujian, China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
In a feature broadcast on Tuesday, the third anniversary of the ship’s launch, Wei Dongxu, a CCTV military commentator, said: “The sea trials of the Fujian have made very good progress and it is expected to enter service this year.”
On Monday state media dropped another hint that the ship would soon be entering service by referring to an “era” when the Chinese navy would have three carriers.
Satellite images of the ship circulating on social media over the weekend showed 36 newly painted spaces on the flight deck for warplanes, a higher capacity than the country’s two existing carriers.


Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the new markings suggested that the Fujian “is getting prepared to be commissioned”.
“The aircraft carrier will [then] enter trial service to continue testing the adaptability and coordination between the carrier and aircraft or other weapon systems,” he said.
Song said that more take-off and landing tests and carrier group coordination exercises were needed, but these could happen before or after the ship was commissioned.
The Type 003 class carrier has undergone eight sea trials since April last year. The latest focused on the durability of the ship’s power system, its stability during high-speed manoeuvres, and take-offs and landings.
China’s two operational aircraft carriers – the Liaoning and the Shandong – spent 13 and 19 months, respectively, undergoing sea trials before they entered service.
The Fujian is the first carrier outside the United States Navy to be equipped with an electromagnetic launch catapult and arresting recovery system. This allows the ship to launch heavier planes and to do so more frequently than is possible with traditional ski-jump decks.
With a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes, the Fujian is by far the largest conventionally powered warship in the world.
CCTV said the Fujian would carry a range of aircraft, including fighters, early warning and anti-submarine planes, and drones.


Wei said that upgraded J-15T warplanes designed for catapult launches would be prioritised for tests on the Fujian.
China is also developing a shipborne version of its fifth-generation stealth aircraft the J-35, which is expected to be deployed on the carrier.
Wei told CCTV on Monday that the three carriers could be rotated for maintenance to be “on standby for missions [and] at sea for deployment”.
The two other Chinese aircraft carriers began the country’s first joint, far-sea carrier exercise this month in the western Pacific.
A number of J-15Ts were spotted on board the ships.
Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the commissioning of the Fujian would pave the way for the PLA Navy’s goal to become a “true blue water naval power”.
He said the ship would give the navy experience in operating a “big deck” carrier and help it prepare for the “Type 004 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that is under construction, and is larger than the Fujian”.


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Military analyst tells national broadcaster CCTV that sea trials have made ‘very good progress’


Military analyst tells national broadcaster CCTV that sea trials have made ‘very good progress’.


Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

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Chinese state media says Fujian aircraft carrier may be commissioned by end of year

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Military analyst tells national broadcaster CCTV that sea trials have made ‘very good progress’

Military analyst tells national broadcaster CCTV that sea trials have made ‘very good progress’