Beijing [China], May 28: The composition and structure of China's future aircraft carrier strike group has become increasingly clear with many cutting-edge weapons.
On May 26, the Global Times reported that China 's Fujian aircraft carrier had just conducted an in-depth test with its electromagnetic aircraft launch system.
New step forward for Chinese navy
However, the news did not specify how in-depth the testing was. However, China's CCTV recently reported that the J-35 stealth fifth-generation fighter jets, designed for the navy and designed to take off using electromagnetic catapults, had just been tested. Combining the two pieces of information just mentioned, it is likely that China has just officially tested the J-35 fighter jet in conjunction with the Fujian aircraft carrier.
Currently, China has put into operation two aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, but both of these ships have a nose-up design for ski-jump takeoff. However, the J-15 fighter jet for Chinese aircraft carriers has an empty weight as well as a maximum takeoff weight that is quite large compared to similar fighters from other countries. Therefore, taking off and landing on aircraft carriers is difficult when there is no supporting catapult system, and the number of weapons carried is also limited.
Therefore, the future deployment of the Fujian aircraft carrier is of great significance to the Chinese navy, especially when combined with the J-35 fighter jet, becoming an important turning point for Beijing's aircraft carrier ambitions. Currently, only the US and China possess electromagnetic launch technology for aircraft carriers .
The future power of China's aircraft carriers
According to analysts, China will probably deploy its full strength of the Fujian aircraft carrier by 2032. This ship will be accompanied by not only J-35 fighters but also the J-15D electronic warfare version of the J-15 fighter. In addition, the Fujian aircraft carrier will also be equipped with KJ-600 reconnaissance and early warning aircraft to compete with the US Grumman E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft.
In particular, China is also accelerating the development of the GJ-11 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to equip the Fujian aircraft carrier. This is a UAV line that directly competes with the US rival X-47B.
The GJ-11 is a stealth bomber UAV that can carry up to 2 tons of weapons with a combat radius of up to 1,200 km, and can be launched not only from aircraft carriers but also from China's Type 075 or Type 076 amphibious assault ships. Equipping the GJ-11 will help enhance the attack capability of the Fujian aircraft carrier. According to some sources, Beijing is aiming to develop 6 aircraft carrier battle groups like the Fujian.
Providing effective support and also acting as an escort for the aircraft carrier is the Type 055 destroyer. This is China's most powerful surface warship with a displacement of up to 11,000 tons, combined with a state-of-the-art electronic system. The Type 055 destroyer can integrate up to 112 vertical missile launch tubes, allowing it to launch the YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missile with a speed of Mach 6 - 10 (6 - 10 times faster than the speed of sound) and a range of up to 1,500 km. The Type 055 can also launch the CJ-10 cruise missile (range of 1,500 - 2,000 km) to attack land targets, and the HHQ-9 air-to-air missile with a flight ceiling of up to 50 km to form a missile defense system.
Therefore, when fully equipped with the above weapons and firepower systems, China's future aircraft carrier group will have very strong combat capabilities.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper