Fourth Anniversary of Fujian's Launch: EMALS and Sea Trial Progress Draw Attention
Fourth Anniversary of Fujian's Launch: 8 sea trials over 117 days, witnessing the accelerated maturation of China’s catapult aircraft carrier Electromagnetic catapult and recovery technologies have been fully upgraded, bringing you the latest progress on Carrier 18
Fujian was launched on June 17, 2022, and its hull number is 18. By June 17, 2026, this first Chinese catapultequipped aircraft carrier has reached its fourth anniversary since launch, and related reports have reviewed several key milestones from construction and mooring trials to opensea sea trials.
The report noted that since its first sea trial in May 2024, Fujian has completed 8 sea trials, with a cumulative 117 days of sea testing. As an aircraft carrier using electromagnetic catapult technology, its test items and technical debugging are both more demanding, and its power system and propulsion system are also more complex.
The article also explained how the electromagnetic catapult and recovery system works: carrierbased aircraft can use electromagnetic thrust to take off quickly, and after landing, the catapult device can also apply electromagnetic braking and recover energy. The report said that this technology not only improves catapult efficiency, but also creates room for upgrading the carrier's supporting capabilities.