Fujian super carrier ushers in new naval aviation era for China

China has formally commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the CNS Fujian, marking a major step in the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s expansion into carrier aviation using electromagnetic catapults. The ceremony took place on November 5, 2025, at a naval port in Sanya, Hainan, where Chinese President Xi Jinping presided, boarded the ship, inspected the vessel and posed with representatives of the carrier unit, according to state news agency Xinhua.  

Chinese Ministry of National DefenseFujian is China’s first indigenously designed carrier built to a CATOBAR configuration (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery). Unlike China’s first two carriers — Liaoning and Shandong — which use ski-jump ramps, Fujian’s flat deck features electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS), placing China in a small club with the United States’ Ford-class carriers that use similar technology. EMALS enables launches of heavier, more diverse aircraft with higher fuel and weapons loads than ski-jump systems.  

Next-generation carrier aircraft

State media and independent defense outlets say Fujian’s developing air wing includes the Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter, an updated catapult-capable J-15 variant (often referred to as J-15T), and the KJ-600 airborne early-warning aircraft. September 2025 test footage released by Chinese outlets showed all three types conducting catapult launches and arrested landings during trials. At the commissioning ceremony in Sanya, which included a flag-presentation by Xi, Chinese coverage framed the event as part of a long-running modernization drive for the country’s navy. Xinhua’s report noted the presence of top leadership and the carrier unit’s formal acceptance into service, consistent with prior PLAN commissioning practices. While Chinese media did not publish detailed running orders for the event, images and descriptions confirm Xi’s attendance, shipboard inspection and a group photograph with sailors.  

Size and classification of the new carrier have been closely watched. Public estimates place Fujian’s full-load displacement at “over 80,000 tons,” making it China’s largest carrier to date and approaching the lower end of US “supercarrier” tonnage, though still shy of the US’s approximately 100,000-ton Ford- and Nimitz-class ships. US carriers typically embark with 60-70 aircraft, while Fujian is estimated to carry roughly 40-60 aircraft, depending on the air wing mix. China has not publicly disclosed the ship’s crew complement. Independent reference sources commonly estimate on the order of 2,000 to 3,000 personnel for the ship and air wing combined. 

US carrier comparison

Fujian is conventionally powered rather than nuclear, which implies shorter endurance between refuelings than US nuclear-powered carriers. Analysts note that achieving full operational capability — integrating the air wing, carrier strike group escorts, logistics and sustained blue-water operations — will take additional time beyond commissioning.  As for deployment, China has not announced an initial operating area or homeport beyond the Sanya commissioning location. However, the carrier’s entry into service is widely viewed as expanding China’s ability to project power farther from shore in the Western Pacific, including the South China Sea and near Taiwan, once the air wing and supporting elements mature. 

Fujian’s commissioning makes China the nation with the second-largest aircraft carrier fleet, behind the United States. The US Navy currently operates 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers, each capable of embarking around 70 aircraft and crewed by roughly 5,000 sailors. In addition, the US fleet includes about nine amphibious assault ships — vessels such as the America– and Wasp-class — that can deploy F-35B stealth fighters and helicopters. Combined, these ships give the United States more than 20 large, fixed-wing-capable aviation vessels, far surpassing any other navy. The post Fujian super carrier ushers in new naval aviation era for China appeared first on AeroTime.

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