China’s 3rd Aircraft Carrier Undergoing Sea Trials

The People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Type 003-class Fujian has started undergoing its first sea trials which would focus on the ship’s reliability and stability of its propulsion as well as electrical systems.

Sailing from Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the 80,000-tonne vessel left for sea on May 1 at 8 a.m.. Named after the titular province in East China, the carrier was first launched in June 2022 and has since completed mooring trials, outfitting work and equipment adjustments.

The Fujian is their first fully independently designed and produced aircraft carrier with launch catapults. The Fujian is the first Chinese carrier fitted with Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) as well as Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to launch aircraft. A big difference compared to the country’s first two carriers which are designed with ski jump ramps.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:China MOD/Xinhua)