Beijing [China], August 24: A video released by CCTV suggests that China's third and most modern aircraft carrier, the Fujian, could be officially commissioned as early as next month, according to the South China Morning Post.
The video, broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV) on August 23, opens with footage of the Jiangnan Shipyard of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation in Shanghai, where the Fujian aircraft carrier was built and launched, before switching to footage of the aircraft carrier at sea, according to the South China Morning Post .
"In August 2025, China 's first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier equipped with a catapult system is preparing to officially enter service. Eighty-eight years ago, the Imperial Japanese Navy's flagship Izumo also sailed in these waters," the narrator said in the video.
The Fujian aircraft carrier was launched on June 17, 2022, and conducted its first sea trial on May 1, 2024, according to Chinese media. The ship has a displacement of more than 80,000 tons, which is not as large as the US Gerald R. Ford class (100,000 tons), but will be much larger than China's two current aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (67,500 tons) and the Shandong (70,000 tons).
The Fujian is China's first aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch assist system (EMALS) and an arresting gear. China's development of an aircraft launch system would be a major success and would enable the deployment of heavier aircraft such as the KJ-600 early warning aircraft and fighter jets with more weapons and fuel, according to Naval News .
Once operational, the Fujian will make China the only country other than the US to operate an EMALS-equipped aircraft carrier, according to the South China Morning Post . EMALS eliminates the need for a nose-up design like China's two existing carriers.
The US Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is the first in the world to use EMALS, replacing the traditional steam catapult system.
China will mark the 80th anniversary of its victory over Japan with a major military parade on September 3. Wu Zeke, a senior officer of China's Central Military Commission, said on August 20 that the country will showcase a range of new-generation weapons in the upcoming parade, including tanks and fourth-generation fighter jets, as well as intelligence and anti-drone equipment, according to Xinhua. Wu also noted that other advanced weapons such as anti-missile equipment, hypersonic missiles and strategic missiles will also be involved in the parade, which is expected to last about 70 minutes.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
