 |
| The Difference Chinese Aircraft Carrier 'Fujian' With Liaoning and Shandong |
Beijing - Recently, China has launched its newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian. Although not yet fully operational, the aircraft carrier has successfully caught the world's attention.
However, it cannot be forgotten that China has two aircraft carriers that are quite sophisticated. They are the carriers Liaoning and Shandong, which symbolize the Chinese Navy in terms of naval power. Now, China is one of the countries with big ambitions not only in the economic aspect, but also in the military defense technology industry.
Quoted from the Naval Post, the Liaoning is one of the Chinese aircraft carriers built on the basis of the Varyag ship from Ukraine. The ship entered service in 2011 as the Liaoning. Unlike Admiral Flota Sovetskogo's Russian sister Soyuza Kuznetsov, the Liaoning does not have the P-700's 12-tube surface-to-surface missile launcher.
This leaves the ship with more space for hangars or storage. Meanwhile, China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, entered service in 2019. This ship already has a more sophisticated design than its predecessor, such as a giant hangar and ammunition and jet fuel storage facilities. The small island in Shandong also provides more space for planes on deck.
In addition, the fleet command and flight control towers are on separate floors, which provides more efficiency. The two Chinese aircraft carriers are projected to make China's operations wider. However, at this time, China launched the Fujian ship which is even more sophisticated.
Launched on June 17, 2022, Fujian is the "first domestically developed and built" aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). It also has a straight flight deck and anchoring device. This is Fujian's latest feature that has successfully stolen attention.
Quoted from Firstpost, EMALS works on the strong magnetic field generated by an electromagnetic induction motor to propel lighter objects, use less power, and recharge faster. It has a full displacement of over 80,000 tonnes with as much as 20,000 tonnes more than the other two carriers.
In a media report China said Fujian would get an improved version of the catapult launch-compatible heavy fighter J-15, another electronic warfare version of the same jet, a stealth fighter called the J-35, and a fixed-wing EW aircraft called the KJ. -600.
EMALS is a huge leap forward for the Chinese navy. Because at the moment, only the US has such progress. This feature is also more energy efficient and reduces maintenance. It is also used on the US Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.
The other two Chinese carriers, are equipped with a ski-jump take-off track, meanwhile, the Fujian has a flat flight deck. The Type 003 warship with hull number 18 is the first aircraft carrier in the Chinese fleet to use electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft from deck, which is faster than the older steam catapult system.
Referring to this, it is known that China plans to build five aircraft carriers in total, according to state media. In fact, one of those planned is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the type of ship that the United States and other major powers already have.