China’s third aircraft carrier commences sea trials
Fujian, CV-18, seen here at a riverside berth in Shanghai shortly before starting its maiden voyage out to sea. (Photo: Xinhua)
Fujian, China’s latest aircraft carrier, has embarked on its inaugural sea trials following delays to its construction but featuring technological advancements that have marked a leap in the maritime capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Fujian, an aircraft carrier destined for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), moved from its fitting-out basin to a Yangtze River berth in Shanghai on 29 April, shortly before steaming off on its first sea trials on 1 May.
Approximately a week earlier, this Type 003 carrier bearing pennant number ‘18’ had tested its steam turbine engines.
Xinhua reported, “The sea trials will primarily test the reliability and stability of the aircraft carrier’s propulsion and electrical systems.” The state-owned news agency added that Fujian had “completed mooring trials, outfitting work and equipment adjustments” over the past two years.
Catapult
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
