The Chinese aircraft carrier – The Fujian – dubbed as the biggest warship built anywhere outside of the US, has started moving and had its first sea trial as visuals that surfaced on Monday (April 29) showed. According to reports and the visuals making rounds on social media platforms and on Chinese networks, the warship aircraft carrier’s movement (it left from Shanghai) coincided with the anniversary of China’s navy foundation day (People’s Liberation Army Navy) on April 23.
The Fujian is China’s largest warship and was launched in June 2022. With its first trial taking place, all eyes are once again on China and India’s naval capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Features Of The Fujian
The Fujian weighs more than 80,000 tonnes and the ship has the capacity to carry 60 to 70 fighter jets. The Fujian also has an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and comes equipped with the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) technology. Before this, the EMALS and AAG technology was only found on US’ Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, which is the world’s largest aircraft carrier warship.
The Fujian is named after China’s Fujian province. The carrier was officially launched in June 2022.
The Fujian takes over from the Liaoning and Shandong as China’s largest aircraft warship carrier.
What Does The Fujian Mean For India?
The fact that China’s navy is three times bigger than India and Fujian’s capabilities exceed that of India’s biggest warship aircraft carrier, The Vikrant, makes it imperative for India to take note of the Fujian.
According to global reports keeping a tab on the developments in the Indian Ocean, India has also been acquiring advanced ships, submarines and aircrafts to equip its navy with the latest technology.
