China commissions CNS Fujian in Hainan province

In September, the Navy announced that it had conducted successful electromagnetic launch and recovery tests of three types of aircraft — the J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KJ-600 — onboard the supercarrier. That meant the Fujian is now the world's first and only carrier to have used the electromagnetic catapult system to launch and recover a stealth aircraft.

Before the new carrier, the Navy operated two carriers — CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong. Both have a standard displacement of around 50,000 tons and a conventional propulsion system, and use a ski jump mode for launching fixed-wing aircraft.

Compared with its predecessors, the Fujian is much bigger and heavier, and has a larger flight deck and a smaller superstructure. These differences mean that it is able to carry more aircraft and fuel and will be capable of deploying and recovering more fighter jets in a combat operation.

The greater carrying capacity also means that the ship can sail farther, operate longer, and has stronger fighting power.