Third aircraft carrier completes maiden sea trial

CNS Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, finished its maiden sea trial and returned to a shipyard in Shanghai on Wednesday afternoon, the People's Liberation Army Navy said in a brief news release.

It said that during the eight-day sea trial, engineers and Navy sailors tested the carrier's propulsion and electric power systems and achieved their goals.

The Fujian is now berthed at China State Shipbuilding Corp's Jiangnan Shipyard.

Hardware and software tests will now take place on the carrier in accordance with its construction plan, the Navy said.

It said the Fujian had successfully completed mooring tests and the equipment installation process before its first sea trial.

One of the most important pieces of military hardware China is working on, the Fujian was officially unveiled in June 2022 in Shanghai when it was towed out of the Jiangnan Shipyard.

When commissioned, the gigantic vessel will displace more than 80,000 metric tons of water, making it the largest and mightiest warship any Asian nation has ever built, as well as the world's biggest non-US aircraft carrier.

The ship will use an electromagnetic catapult to launch fixed-wing aircraft, giving it much greater combat capability than its two predecessors, which launch fixed-wing aircraft from a ramp.

The Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers — CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong. Both have a standard displacement of around 50,000 tons and conventional propulsion systems.

Compared with its two predecessors, the Fujian is much bigger and heavier, and has a larger flight deck and smaller superstructure.

The Liaoning underwent 10 sea trials before going into service, and the Shandong conducted nine before its commissioning.