China Launches Third Aircraft Carrier

The naming ceremony for the launch of China’s third aircraft carrier was held on Friday morning at the Jiangnan Shipyard, owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). National institutions will carry out mooring and navigation tests as planned in the future.

The aircraft carrier is named after the country’s southeastern Fujian province and its pennant number is 18. It is also the first aircraft carrier in China to allow planes to take off by a catapult method.

The Fujian is China’s first domestically-made carrier to use catapults. With a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the carrier is equipped with electromagnetic catapults, arresting devices and a straight flight deck.

China’s first aircraft carrier is Liaoning, whose pennant number is 16, and which was officially delivered to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in 2012. The second aircraft carrier is Shandong, China’s first self-developed aircraft carrier, with a pennant number of 17, which was officially delivered on December 17, 2019. Both carriers have a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system.

SEE ALSO: China Begins Prototype Development for New Manned-Carrier Three-Stage Engine Rocket