China's threat: an aircraft carrier similar to the Gerald R Ford enters into service

China announced Friday that it has put its third aircraft carrier into service, the first equipped with a electromagnetic catapult system, marking a crucial milestone in modernizing its navy as it challenges the United States.

That advanced launch technology, previously possessed only by the U.S., allows the ship, the Fujian, to power a larger variety of aircraft, more heavily armed and with a greater range. The only other aircraft carrier currently equipped with this system is the Gerald R. Ford, of the U.S. Navy.

Balance of forces

Immersed in a naval rivalry with Washington around Taiwan, the Chinese communist regime remains far behind in terms of deployment capability.

"No Western country except the United States operates an aircraft carrier of similar size and capabilities," Alex Luck, a naval weapons specialist, told AFP.

"It will still be several years before this aircraft carrier achieves real combat capability" and "China will need to have several such carriers" to "really upset the balance of forces," he qualified.

New aircraft carrier enters service

The Fujian, which conducted its first trials in 2024, officially entered service during a ceremony on Wednesday in the island province of Hainan, in the presence of President Xi Jinping, state news agency Xinhua reported.

More than 2,000 people attended the event, the media outlet reported, which described a "enthusiastic atmosphere." "After the ceremony, Xi Jinping boarded the Fujian and was briefed on the development of the carrier's combat capabilitiesand the construction and application of the electromagnetic catapult system," the agency reported.

Other Chinese aircraft carriers

The Asian giant already had the Liaoning, of Soviet design and purchased from Ukraine in 2000, and the Shandong, the first built in China, which entered service in 2019. Lacking a catapult, they are equipped with a ramp that does not allow the planes to take off with as much power. This forces them to carry less weapons and fuel.