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Is Chinese naval air power ready for action?

30th December 2024 - 09:15 GMT | by Edward Hunt

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The J-35A flying at Zhuhai Airshow in November 2024. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/中国新闻社)

What role will the new jets and aircraft carriers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy play in Beijing’s wider fleet?

Much has been made of China’s ambitions to become a full-spectrum ‘blue water’ naval power, with a necessarily potent embarked aviation arm. With new information emerging about the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) aircraft carriers and the fast jets they will deploy, it is timely to examine what role these assets will play, and how Beijing intends to integrate them into the wider fleet.

Around three years ago, the first images appeared of what was thought to be the PLAN’s new fighter aircraft. This was a wholly indigenous design, initially given the designation FC-31.

At the Zhuhai Airshow in November

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