- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Wed, 03 Jan 2024 02:53 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Chinese state media on Wednesday unveiled new images of China's most advanced aircraft carrier until now named Fujain. It also released pictures of next-generation launch tracks that can catapult a wider range of aircraft from its deck. The Fujian first shown to the public in June 2022, has been entirely designed and built by using Beijing's domestic resources.
Fujian which awaits its first sea trials is larger and technologically more advanced than the Shandong, commissioned in 2019 and the Liaoning, which China had bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted domestically, reported Reuters.
In a now deleted post on social media platform 'X', an user shared a clip showcasing the Chinese aircraft carrier. The post was captioned: "CCTV Broadcast News Says PLAN CV-18 Fujian Aircraft Carrier Undergoes Mooring Test as Planned".
The aircraft carrier was seen being towed by a smaller vessel with all of the three tracks of its electro-magnetic catapult system visible on its deck.
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"In the new year, we will seize every minute, work with determination, and strive for combat readiness as soon as possible," state television quoted a Fujian official as saying.
The Fujian has been conducting tests including mooring tests before its sea trials, which some observers expected to have taken place by 2023. The carrier started launch tests for its electromagnetic catapult system in November, according to state-controlled Chinese newspaper Global Times.
Other than Ford-class aircraft carriers, a new class of nuclear-powered carriers being developed for the US Navy, the Fujian will be the only aircraft carrier in the world equipped with the latest Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
China's version of the EMALS can launch more kinds of aircraft than the Shandong or the Liaoning, and will also be more reliable and energy-efficient, marking a milestone in the modernisation of the Chinese military
President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for increased combat readiness and technological advances ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2027. Some senior U.S. military officers previously said China would launch a military takeover of Taiwan by that year.
Taiwan has reported China continuing with its daily military activities in the Taiwan Strait and around the democratically governed island.
Chinese fighter jets have also on occasion crossed the strait's median line, which previously served as an unofficial barrier but which Beijing says it does not recognise.
(With agency inputs)
