![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The ship, which the Pentagon report said could be operational by 2024, is expected to carry new variants of the J-15 jet fighter, replacing the existing model that foreign analysts consider underpowered. The Fujian is significantly larger, though conventionally powered, and will launch aircraft from electromagnetic catapults. FROM SKI JUMPS TO CATAPULTSĪs the Liaoning and Shandong gradually increase the tempo of their drills, China is preparing for sea trials of its next-generation carrier, the 80,000-tonne Fujian, state media reported last month. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. ![]() bases on Guam, they remained within range of coastal Chinese airfields, according to Rira Momma, professor of security studies at Takushoku University's Institute of World Studies, who reviewed Japanese defence ministry tracking data.īoth the Liaoning - a refitted ex-Soviet vessel - and the Chinese-built Shandong have jump ramps for take offs, which limit the number and range of aircraft on board.Īnti-submarine helicopters operate from both carriers and China's Type 055 cruisers but the carriers have yet to deploy an early warning aircraft, relying so far on land-based planes, the 10 experts said.Ī new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. It still has a long, long way to go."Īt times, China's carrier pilots have relied on land-based airfields for takeoffs or landings, as well as for extra air cover and surveillance, the attaches told Reuters on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.Īnd though China's Liaoning and Shandong carriers have each sailed into the western Pacific in recent months, approaching U.S. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. ![]()
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