Powerful new warship with three catapults for rapid launch of aircraft
After two postponements due to Shanghai’s covid detention, China’s third aircraft carrier, named “Fujian” was launched this Friday in honor of Beijing’s claimed coastal province off the island of Taiwan. It does not seem a coincidence name, because the waters of that strait will be the ones that sail this new ship, the commissioning of which will take a few more years. Amid rising maritime tensions with the United States in the Pacific, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese regime is confirming its emergence as a military superpower and moving towards its goal of having six aircraft carriers, the next nuclear-powered.
With 80,000 tons and a unique design, the ‘Fujian’ is the most advanced of China’s large ships of its type. With a lid that doesn’t end in a ramp like the previous two, it includes innovative electromagnetic catapults to propel the take-off of its fighters. This system, which improves on-board operations, demonstrates China’s military and technological advances, as until now this system has only been used by the United States on their Gerald Ford-class ships. “This is the first aircraft carrier with these catapults designed and built entirely by China,” state television CCTV proudly announced, indicating that the ship’s first mission will be to “sail and conduct mooring tests after launch.”
Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012-2013, he has pushed for the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army to support China’s rise as a superpower.
Source: La Verdad
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