Type 003 Fujian

China's first indigenously designed CATOBAR aircraft carrier — conventionally powered but launching fighters and AEW&C aircraft via electromagnetic catapults, marking the PLAN's transition from ski-jump experimentation to blue-water power projection.

Overview

The Type 003 Fujian (pennant number 18) is the People's Liberation Army Navy's third aircraft carrier and the first to employ a catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) configuration. Built at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard, the ship was commissioned on 5 November 2025 Naval News. Its defining technological leap is the installation of an electromagnetic catapult system (EMALS-type), making it the first non-United States carrier to field this capability. The Fujian represents China's progression from the Soviet-derived ski-jump carriers Liaoning and Shandong to a full-deck, catapult-equipped fleet carrier capable of launching heavier, higher-payload aircraft.

Development

Construction began with a keel-laying at Jiangnan Shipyard in 2016, following years of research and development into electromagnetic launch technology CSIS. The hull was launched on 17 June 2022 and spent over three years in fitting out and sea trials. A critical milestone occurred in September 2025 when the Fujian conducted the first catapult launches of its future air wing components, the J-35 stealth fighter and the KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft USNI News. The carrier was formally commissioned into active service with the PLAN's South Sea Fleet at Hainan, a move signaling its primary orientation toward the South China Sea and the first island chain Asian Military Review.

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