+ Follow us On Google

China has officially commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, and the first built entirely to an indigenous design. The commissioning ceremony, held in Sanya on Hainan Island, was presided over by President Xi Jinping, who boarded the vessel and declared its entry into service.

Named after the coastal province opposite Taiwan, Fujian carries symbolic as well as strategic weight. Unlike China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, which are both based on older Soviet-era designs and use ski-jump ramps or STOBAR for aircraft launch.

With a length of 316m and a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, the Fujian features a flat flight deck that can carry up to 50 aircraft and electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS), which enables it to launch

See Full Page