China shows first full fighter flights from new Fujian aircraft carrier
Photo: aircraft carrier Fujian (GettyImages)
China has released the first footage of full-scale flights of fighters from the deck of its new aircraft carrier Fujian, according to CNN.
The media outlet writes that not only footage of the takeoff and landing of the old deck fighter, the J-15T, was shown. Also published were shots of the new fifth-generation deck fighter, the J-35, as well as the deck aircraft, the long-range radar tracking KJ-600.
It is known that the fighters were launched with the help of the electromagnetic catapult – EMALS. It is interesting that, until this time, the only aircraft carrier put into operation equipped with such a system was the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier of the US Navy.
The Chinese Navy announced Monday that carrier-based aircraft J-15T, J-35 and KongJing-600 have successfully completed their inaugural electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landing trainings on aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
— China News 中国新闻网 (@Echinanews) September 22, 2025
The success showed that China's first… pic.twitter.com/jq2oeJodUB
The EMALS system allows aircraft to take off with heavier armament and fuel loads. China’s two previous aircraft carriers, Shandong and Liaoning, are equipped with special ski-jumps, as on the Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov.
Currently, Fujian is the largest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier in China, representing a significant technological leap compared to the previous Liaoning and Shandong types. The aircraft carrier weighs between 80,000 and 85,000 tons and features three electromagnetic catapults. They operate on an integrated electric power plant, which provides 30% greater launch efficiency than the US Ford-class aircraft carriers.
Fujian is undergoing final tests and will soon be accepted into the Chinese Navy's composition.
Earlier, the Chinese stealth fighter Shenyang J-35, probably, for the first time, took off with the help of an electromagnetic catapult (EMALS) from the deck of the new aircraft carrier Fujian.
