![]() "It has only been nearly a hundred years since the appearance of the first aircraft carrier, but it is a revolutionary leap in maritime warfare from the battleship era of cannon ship," said Huang Pumin, a former researcher at the Department of Strategic Studies at the PLA Academy of Military Science.Īs the backbone of the navy's strength, the aircraft carrier has been playing an essential role in winning decisive naval battles since the 1940s, including the Battle of Taranto and Battle of Midway. With the modernization efforts, China's navy has transformed into a modern and capable force, composed of modern multi-role platforms with advanced weapons and sensors. With the development of the Chinese economy, the navy plays an increasingly important role in sea lines of communication. It aligns with the country's growing emphasis on the maritime domain and the demands for the PLAN to operate at greater distances from China. The development of the Type 003 carrier is part of a broader modernization of China's military. The PLAN has purchased military hardware from abroad since the late 1990s, upgraded the aging ships, and built naval platforms. Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, it began to view the maritime force as an increasingly critical component of the national security structure. ![]() What does navy modernization mean for China? French engineers and craftsmen were hired, and schools for naval construction and apprenticeship were set up.Īlthough French forces severely damaged the shipyard in 1884 during the Sino-French War, it represented a series of efforts by the Qing government to strengthen its maritime force after the Opium War (1840-1842) and Arrow War (1856-1860), which facilitated the independent construction of modern warships. As the first attempt to study from the West, it aimed to build a modern navy and train modern naval officers. The Foochow Arsenal was one of the shipyards created by the Qing government during the Self-Strengthening Movement from the 1860s to the 1890s. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the port region Fujian was at the frontier in the confrontation with Western imperialism. In 1866, spearheaded by governors-general Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, the Qing government cooperated with France to establish Foochow Arsenal in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian. It wasn't long before the Chinese started building modern warships. When did modern warship building get started? It also enables a carrier to launch a broader variety of aircraft, especially those with heavier payloads. With a larger flight deck and a smaller superstructure, it is equipped with three electromagnetically powered catapults, also called Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), rather than a ski ramp.ĮMALS is the navy's newest complete carrier-based launch system, which accelerates aircraft taking off at speed. Both carriers employ the "ski-jump" launch method for aircraft, with a ramp at the end of the short runway to help fixed-wing aircraft take off.Ĭompared with its two predecessors, the Type 003 carrier Fujian is a leap in capabilities from older models. Weighing around 100,000 tonnes when fully loaded, the Fujian will join Liaoning (Type 001) and Shandong (Type 002), which were commissioned in 20, respectively. ![]() ![]() The new-generation carrier, the first both designed and built indigenously, was named after Fujian Province on the southeastern coast of China, following the tradition of naming the first two carriers after the provinces of Liaoning and Shandong. China's third aircraft carrier left its drydock at Jiangnan shipyard outside Shanghai in June, marking the latest milestone of the modernization of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). ![]()
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