China launches domestically built ‘advanced’ aircraft carrier

Beijing: China on Friday launched its third aircraft carrier, the country’s most advanced as well as the first “fully domestically” built naval vessel, as Beijing sought to extend the range of its navy in the Indo-Pacific region.

The aircraft carrier named Fujian was launched at a brief ceremony held at the Shanghai shipyard, the official media reported from the eastern metropolis. The launch was delayed by two months due to the Covid lockdown of Shanghai. It was due to be launched on April 23 around the 73rd anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

The 3rd aircraft carrier built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited has a displacement of more than 80,000 tonnes and is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices, state-run Global Times reported.

Fujian is the name of China’s eastern coastal province of Fujian. China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was a refit of the Soviet-era ship commissioned in 2012 followed by the indigenously built 2nd aircraft carrier Shandong in 2019.

China plans to have around five aircraft carriers, according to the official media. The next aircraft carrier China plans to build is expected to be nuclear-powered. The ship Fujian was launched at a “short but festive” ceremony, the daily report said. —AP