Smooth sailing for China’s Fujian aircraft carrier as it finishes first sea trial

The country’s most advanced aircraft carrier achieves ‘expected results’ in eight-day test of its power and electrical systems, Xinhua reports

Testing of the vessel’s cutting-edge electromagnetic catapult system is not likely to happen until its third to fifth trial, retired PLA colonel says

Reading Time:2 minutes

The Fujian is China’s first aircraft carrier built to a domestic design. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:31pm, 8 May 2024Updated: 8:49pm, 8 May 2024

China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, finished a smooth eight-day maiden sea trial and returned to Shanghai’s Jiangnan shipyard on Wednesday, according to official news agency Xinhua.

The aircraft carrier completed tests of its power and electrical systems and achieved “the expected results” during its first trial, the news agency said.

There were no tests directly related to the carrier’s cutting-edge electromagnetic catapult system carried out during the trial.

The Fujian, launched in June 2022, is China’s first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, which will enable the vessel to launch aircraft more frequently.

The vessel’s first sea trial was longer than those of its predecessors, the Liaoning and the Shandong aircraft carriers. The Liaoning took five days and the Shandong took six days to complete their maiden exercises.

A retired PLA colonel says he expects the Fujian to complete a total of eight or nine trials over the course of a year. Photo: Xinhua

“The length of the first trial is normal, and it shows that no major issues came up,” said Yue Gang, a retired People’s Liberation Army colonel, adding that “if a major problem arose, the military would likely have made the carrier return earlier than scheduled”.