Supercarrier to be put through paces

The most important task for the crew of the CNS Fujian — China's third aircraft carrier and the world's largest conventionally powered warship — is to conduct in-depth testing and additional trial runs of its equipment, according to the ship's captain.

Senior Captain Chen Zhiguo told State broadcaster China Central Television on Saturday that he will lead the crew to further test the vessel's capabilities. At the same time, they will make all-out efforts to prepare for the full-scale deployment of aircraft squadrons and to build joint combat capacity with other assets in the carrier strike group, he said.

"I'm convinced that, following the development path guided by President Xi Jinping, we, the crew of the Fujian, will 'cleave through the waves' to complete our missions set by the Party and the people," Chen said.

The Fujian is the first aircraft carrier in the People's Liberation Army Navy equipped with a cutting-edge electromagnetic catapult system. It is also the largest, heaviest and most powerful naval vessel ever built in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The gigantic ship, which displaces more than 80,000 metric tons of water, entered service on Wednesday at a naval base in Sanya, Hainan province.

Senior Captain Leng Guowei, a spokesman for the Navy, said on Saturday that Sanya will be the supercarrier's home base due to factors including strategic demand, port conditions, support capacity and mission requirements.

He said the Fujian will be sent to oceans far from China on a regular basis and added that it will not be long before the full-scale deployment of aircraft squadrons begins on the supercarrier.

Leng said the development and improvement of China's weaponry do not target any country or specific objective, nor will they pose a threat to any country or region. The efforts are solely aimed at safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests.

"Regarding China's follow-up development plans for aircraft carriers, they will be comprehensively considered based on national defense needs," Leng said. "It is important to emphasize that our country's nature as a socialist country, its strategic choice of taking the path of peaceful development, and its independent, peaceful foreign policy determine that we will never abandon our defensive national defense policy."

An industry insider in China's shipbuilding sector, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Fujian's commissioning "means the PLA Navy has entered the three-carrier club and is theoretically capable of deploying a carrier strike group anytime it wants. That also means the Navy's long-range operational capability is far stronger than before."