People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), on Monday, announced that three carrier-based aircraft— J-15T, J-35, and KongJing-600— have for the first time successfully carried out electromagnetic catapult-assisted take-off and landing from the country's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is equipped with the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).
The EMALS system has so far been used only by the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford.
The Chinese navy said carrier-based aircraft have successfully completed their inaugural electromagnetic catapult-assisted take-off and arrested landing training on the Fujian.
The success showed that China's first domestically built catapult-equipped aircraft carrier has obtained electromagnetic catapult launch and recovery capabilities, marking another breakthrough in the development of China's aircraft carriers, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, quoting the naval announcement.
The over 80,000-tonne Fujian, capable of carrying a wide range of aircraft, including fighter jets, early warning aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft and drones, was launched in 2024 and since then completed multiple sea trials, accumulating more than 100 days of sea trials.
China plans to commission the Fujian this year as it has completed nearly three years of sea trials. When commissioned, the Chinese navy, for the first time, will be operating three carrier groups.
“Since its first sea trial in May 2024, the aircraft carrier Fujian has been conducting various maritime tests in an orderly manner according to schedule, smoothly advancing the commissioning of onboard systems and equipment as well as testing overall operational stability,” according to a CCTV report.