Chinese official media has released footage showing the new catapult-equipped supercarrier Fujian conducting fixed wing flight operations, Naval News reports.
Official media channels of the Chinese Military (PLA) have released a large amount of footage confirming flight operations have begun on the catapult-equipped supercarrier Fujian. The sudden release first on Chinese social media, followed by circulation in Western media such as X (formerly Twitter) has taken the wider online commentariat somewhat by surprise. Fujian is simultaneously undertaking her ninth sea trial since May 2024, for the first time in the South China Sea.
Video and high resolution imagery show catapult launches and recoveryfor three types of aircraft. These are the KJ-600 AEWC plane and the two carrierborne fighter jets, the J-15T and the next generation J-35. Additionally, Z-9 light utility and SAR helicopters are also part of the coverage. While coinciding with Fujian’s current cruise, the footage appears to date between September 2024 and May 2025.
Flight operation-footage likely dates to earlier in 2025
Possibly the earliest scene in the overall release depicts what appears to be an overflight by a KJ-600 approaching the flight deck of Fujian on her fourth sea trial from the 3rd to the 21st of September 2024. The segment is distinct due to the presence of several shipping containers on the carrier’s flight deck. Additionally, the forward catapults still miss their foul lines, which the ship received in December 2024. Notably the aircraft would not have landed onboard, as Fujian received the required arrestor gear after the fourth sea trial.
The bulk of the imagery and footage appears to date to the seventh sea trial Fujian undertook from the 18th of March to the 1st of April 2025. Circumstantial evidence supporting this notion is again the particular condition of the ship at the time. In several images the island of Fujian shows her main sensor mast in a distinct black paint or draping. Previous imagery showed the carrier with this configuration in early March 2025. After returning from the seventh sea trial, the ship received further maintenance, including scaffolding around the mast. By the time of the short eighth sea trial from the 21st to the 27th of May 2025 the sensor mast had returned to its regular navy grey appearance.
Ironically a particular segment of the new footage showing a date of March 19, 2025 at 2000 hours promping several observers to draw connections to the timing of flight testing does not seem to have any direct connection to Fujian. The carrier was indeed underway at that time, having just left Shanghai the day previously. However, based on context the short scene instead appears to allude to PLAN vessels crossing the international dateline. The segment aims to highlight the new reach of the Chinese Navy in their transformation to a blue water-force.
Prominent appearance of AEWC aircraft & flightdeck personnel
Flight operations onboard Fujian do not per se come as a surprise to routine observers of Chinese naval modernisation. As Naval News had reported in July this year, imagery shared earlier this year has already alluded to this fact. Furthermore, the ship returned from her sixth sea trial in January 2025 with visible tyre marks on the landing strip.
Several aspects are nevertheless notable in the newly released material. All observable launches appear to occur from the forward portside catapult. Whether this is just an artifact of footage editing or highlights a deeper reason such as different states of qualification for the three electromagnetic catapults and other onboard equipment remains unclear.
Strikingly, the carrier in the video footage has no less than three KJ-600 AEWC aircraft onboard. The aircraft carry the serial numbers 7103, 7104 and 7106. This fact may underscore the high priority and good progress of the carrierborne early warning aircraft-effort, which is one of the key capabilities setting Fujian apart from her older sisters Liaoning and Shandong. Both of the other carriers lack catapults and therefore the capability to support fixed-wing AEWC aircraft.
The footage also allows a lengthy look at overall flight deck operations onboard Fujian. Standing out once again is the fact that PLAN seems to closely follow established USN concepts of operation. This concerns in particular the color coding of flight deck personnel. The American practice traces its roots back to experimentation on USS Langley (CV-1) in the 1920s. However, the color code has changed and varied significantly over time. The present regime is in place since approximately the 1970s.
Similarities to the American regime include yellow jackets for catapult crew and plane directors, blue for elevator operations, general aircraft handling and tractor drivers, and white for safety officers and quality control. Differences are notable for refueling. Assigned Chinese personnel wears blue jackets, whereas USN crews wear purple.
Similar to other parallels such as KJ-600 very closely resembling the E-2 series of AEWC aircraft it seems logical that PLAN would echo procedures defined by the preeminent aircraft carrier-operator in the world, instead of needlessly formulating a disparate concept of operations.
Key benchmarks met, but some miles to go for operational capability
In a related ironic twist PLAN also accomplished a first setting the service apart from the American reference. The first EMALS-equipped American supercarrier, CVN-78 Gerald R Ford has yet to launch an F-35C. Meanwhile, Fujian did show off the next generation J-35 fighter taking to the air with the Chinese electromagnetic catapult system. The US Congress had imposed budget restrictions over repeated delays and cost overruns during the construction and fielding of CVN-78. Therefore the American carrier will now prospectively operate F-35C from 2027. Until then USN and USCM F-35 squadrons will operate on certified carriers of the Nimitz-class.
Meanwhile Fujian is expected to wrap up her ongoing ninth sea trial in the near future. Significantly, the carrier may commission with PLAN after this event, possibly at Sanya on Hainan. However, this step very much remains to be confirmed for the time being. Even once the ship enters service with the Chinese Navy, the carrier will not be operational in any meaningful sense for several years. Fujian will instead continue with qualifications and testing, including further flight operations. Once the vessel completes all relevant certification, the first Chinese supercarrier will then bear for some time the sole weight of qualifying further personnel and aircraft for catapult-assisted carrier operations. This distinction is only somewhat offset by the appearance of the EM-cat equipped Type 076 amphibious assault ship currently fitting out at Hudong.
Looking back – and ahead
Details on the construction progress of a fourth aircraft carrier and the second catapult-equipped design remain vague. Dalian appears to be in the early stages of related construction. Land-based development of a naval nuclear reactor also seems to gain momentum. However, either aspect requires further validation by additional information and imagery, before determining a credible schedule for fielding an additional PLAN aircraft carrier.
Uncertainty over future carrier fleet expansion aside PLAN has in the space of only two decades moved from refurbishing an ex-Soviet STOBAR carrier to operating three aircraft carriers, two of which the country constructed domestically. Out of these three the Fujian is also among the largest and in at least some aspects most modern such designs in the world. This benchmark, including now flight operations from Fujian, once again reflects the outcome of methodical, persistent development and modernisation, which the Chinese Navy continues to sustain at considerable pace.
