A few hours ago, social media and the OSINT community went on alert with the latest news officially released by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Through a series of viralized videos, along with officially published images, the force confirmed the execution of landing and take-off trials of the future of its carrier-based naval aviation from the aircraft carrier Fujian, comprised of the J-15T fighters, the stealth J-35, and the new KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Days earlier, it had been officially confirmed that the new and most modern Fujian-class Type 003 aircraft carrier had departed from Shanghai to begin a new round of sea trials and evaluations. Unlike previous occasions, however, strong indications pointed to this deployment being the prelude to major announcements linked to its upcoming entry into service. It was even confirmed that the ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait, closely monitored by both the island’s government authorities and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Thus, following the impressive Victory Day parade earlier this month in Beijing—where the PLAN Naval Aviation showcased its new carrier-borne combat platforms—the viralized images now definitively confirm that landing, take-off, and flight deck operations are already being carried out from the Type 003.
Most notably, the new crown jewel of Chinese aviation, the stealth Shenyang J-35 in its carrier-based version, was seen operating from Fujian’s flight deck, conducting take-offs and landings. Reports months ago suggested that both the Navy and the aerospace industry were progressing with its development, even indicating that the fifth-generation fighter had entered limited service, with its official debut during the Victory Day aerial parade.
The images also showed the presence of the new J-15 family variant, designated J-15T, operating from Fujian. Like the J-35, this aircraft is designed to be compatible with the new electromagnetic catapult launch system—presumably similar to EMALS on the U.S. Gerald R. Ford class—and the aircraft recovery systems installed aboard Fujian. This marks a historic shift for China’s carrier aviation capabilities.
Until now, China’s first aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, based on the Soviet/Russian Kuznetsov class, featured a STOBAR configuration (short take-off but arrested recovery) with the characteristic ski-jump ramp at the bow. While this design reduced costs and complexity by eliminating catapult systems, it also limited aircraft weight and payload, reducing armament loadouts and operational range.
With the entry into service of the new generation of Chinese carriers led by the Type 003 Fujian—to be followed by the future Type 004, reportedly in early construction—the PLAN has made a significant leap in its drive to increase power projection in the Pacific.
From Fujian onward, Chinese carriers—both conventionally powered and projected nuclear-powered—adopt a CATOBAR configuration (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery). Its main feature is the integration of electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, a technology first seen on the U.S. Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, which are gradually replacing the Nimitz-class.
For China’s Naval Aviation, this represents a dramatic boost in capability. In addition to the J-15T and J-35, the Fujian flight deck trials also included the new KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, set to become the future “forward eyes” of Chinese carrier strike groups led by the Type 003 and its successors.
Until now, this carrier-based AEW&C capability had been absent from Liaoning and Shandong due to their design, which forced reliance on embarked helicopters and land-based AEW&C aircraft for airborne surveillance.
Finally, given the novelty of the images, one can only infer the opening of a new chapter in the history of the PLAN—and its Naval Aviation in particular—with the adoption of an entirely new generation of platforms on which to build its naval power projection in the Indo-Pacific. This represents another milestone in the roadmap laid out by Chinese military leadership more than forty years ago.
*Photographs: People’s Liberation Army Navy
*Original text written in Spanish by Juan José Roldán
You may also like: Since entering service, the embarked air group of China’s aircraft carrier Shandong has carried out a total of 10,000 flight operations
