China’s Fujian carrier proves its electro-magnetic catapult launch abilities rivaling U.S. Navy technology.

China released its first full video of the aircraft carrier Fujian conducting catapult launches of stealth fighters and a KJ-600 radar plane. The footage signals China’s move toward an operational carrier air wing, raising concerns for U.S. and allied forces in the Pacific

In video footage published by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), China’s newest aircraft carrier shows its hand on catapult operations. A state-owned TV channel released complete sequences of J-35 and J-15T fighters and a KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft launching from the carrier Fujian using electromagnetic catapults. This is the first time Beijing shows continuous video from shuttle hookup to nosewheel release, rather than celebratory clips after the fact. It points out that the carrier aviation program is stepping from test snippets into repeatable procedures. It also confirms the three-lane electromagnetic catapult layout and, crucially, the pairing with a fixed-wing radar aircraft. In plain terms, the People’s Liberation Army Navy is working to field a full carrier air wing with the tools needed for high-tempo operations, rivaling the U.S. Navy technology.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

China’s new aircraft carrier Fujian has for the first time showcased full electromagnetic catapult launches of J-35 and J-15T fighters alongside the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, marking a key step toward an operational carrier air wing with extended range and surveillance capabilities in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea (Picture source: PLAN).

Fujian is China’s third carrier. At roughly 316 meters in length, the ship carries three electromagnetic catapults along a wide flight deck and a large island set aft of midships. Unlike the nuclear-powered American Ford class, Fujian is conventionally powered, so its engineers must balance hotel loads, propulsion, and the power-hungry catapult system using integrated power management. The advantage of electromagnetic launch is fine control over end speed. Light trainer or heavy tanker, the launcher can tailor acceleration profiles that reduce stress on airframes and arresting gear. Steam catapults did this well enough for decades, but they are bulkier and harsher on jets. The video of a KJ-600 leaving the bow at steady acceleration proves it. If the system can reliably put a fully fueled radar aircraft into the air, it unlocks the core of modern carrier tactics.

The J-35, a stealthy twin-engine fighter expected to serve as Fujian’s frontline combat jet, appears in catapult tests with folded wings and standard deck handling choreography. The J-15T, an upgraded derivative of the older J-15 with modifications for catapult launch, provides a bridging capability while J-35 production ramps. Both types give the air wing options for strike, fleet air defense, and buddy refueling. The presence of the KJ-600 is arguably the biggest shift: China has long flown helicopters for airborne early warning. A catapult-born fixed-wing radar aircraft typically flies higher, farther, and longer, with more power for sensors and datalinks. That expands radar horizons and supports multi-layer command and control, which is the difference between a carrier that can protect itself and a carrier that can protect a task group while projecting airpower.

Electromagnetic launchers are simpler mechanically but demanding electrically. They thrive on the ability to adjust launch energy precisely. They also take time to mature, the United States learned this with early reliability issues on the Ford class, and the Congressional Research Service has documented the difficulties of sustaining high availability without frequent technical support. China has not shared maintenance data for Fujian’s system, and it probably will not. The next proof point will be endurance trials, launch and recovery cycles under tempo, and how many sorties the ship can push in a day without power shortfalls or heat burdens creeping in.

With fixed-wing early warning available, fighters can be vectored earlier and farther out, which extends the lethal radius for both defense and strike. A stealth forward screen of J-35S can push beyond the radar horizon, cueing long-range weapons or feeding targeting to land-based sensors. The J-15T, while not low observable, brings payload, range, and the ability to haul fuel pods for organic tanking. That is important on a conventionally powered carrier where deck cycles and fuel margins matter. Electromagnetic launch also permits heavier takeoff weights in warm conditions, which improves weapons loadouts and gives pilots more flexibility if a recovery needs to wave off. The KJ-600, orbiting at altitude, stitches this together with an airborne picture that is harder to blind with sea clutter or terrain masking. It is a set-up layering air defense, maritime strike at range, and sustained air policing over straits and reefs.

However, conventional propulsion limits unrefueled endurance and complicates energy management for repeated catapult shots, especially in tropical heat. Training cycles for deck crews, maintenance teams, and pilots take years to harden. Night recovered operations, bad weather cycles, and the grind of corrosion control will test the program. The ship must also integrate with escorts for air defense and antisubmarine warfare, and it has to share data with shore-based systems and satellites without giving away the task group’s position. None of that is visible in a launch clip. But a carrier that can throw stealth fighters and a fixed-wing radar plane into the air changes the picture around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It complicates planning for the United States and partners like Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, who have criticized Chinese behavior around contested waters and objected to coercive maneuvers against coast guards and fishing fleets. If Fujian enters service soon, as widely expected, Beijing gains a symbol and a tool. The symbol helps at home and the tool matters abroad, because it underwrites presence patrols and exercises farther from mainland airfields. It is also a signal to neighbors that China will keep investing in blue water capabilities and that it intends to operate them routinely. In power politics, the ability to launch a fully loaded early warning aircraft in a controlled way is such a signal. It is a marker that the PLAN’s carrier program is moving from the experimental stage into something closer to operational reality, and that regional navies will have to plan around it.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.