China is known for its innovations and new discoveries. Given its manufacturing prowess, it is no wonder that the People's Republic manufactures a fair bit of what we use in our daily lives. From crockery to weapons, the country produces almost everything that you can think of and as a consequence, the whole world relies on Chinese imports to sustain their economies. However, China has clearly outdone itself this time by creating a massive aircraft carrier called Christened Fujian.
Al Jazeera / The Fujian is the first aircraft carrier ship to be both designed and built in China.
On June 16th, 2022, China launched its massive ship which was termed the third-largest aircraft carrier that China has ever produced. According to the local news, Xinhua, the construction of this massive aircraft carrier was started in 2018 in Shanghai. After 4 years of designing and manufacturing, the giant ship was successfully launched in Shanghai. Nevertheless, it is pertinent to note here that this massive aircraft carrier was built at the same shipyard where it is launched: The Shanghai shipyard.
Commenting on the name of the ship, Christened Fujian, Xinhua reported that it is named after one of the Chinese provinces which is located in close proximity to Taiwan. Perhaps it is a dedication to the people of the province that have been struggling lately. Similarly, the launch was streamed on all major local news channels. The Chinese official also shared a couple of drone images of the launch showing that the launch was successful.
Global Times / The launch of the Fujian - the largest Chinese aircraft career - was broadcasted on all the local news channels of China.
Prominent Features of the Fujian
Before the launch of the Fujian, there were two massive aircraft carriers in the Chinese navy's arsenal: the Shandong and the Liaoning. It is essential to note here that both of these names denote the names of Chinese provinces. Thus, this shows a precedent of the Chinese ship market naming new ships after provinces. This aspect of naming modern Chinese ships was also confirmed by Xinhua, the state-run Chinese news agency.
So, the ‘naming tradition’ has remained the same with the launch of the Fujian. However, there are certain features that set the Fujian apart from the previous two massive ships: Shandong and Liaoning.
CGTN / The Fujian is 1037 feet long, which makes the ship longer than the previous two massive aircraft carriers: Shandong and Liaoning.
When we look at the features of this massive ship, the size stands out. In length, it is 316 meters long. This means that its length is way bigger than the previous Chinese aircraft carriers. Likewise, it is expected to weigh more than 100,000 tons once completed.
Though the dimension of the Fujian is designed somewhat similar to the US Navy carriers, they are very long in length and too heavy in weight. Nonetheless, it is designed to lift massive aircraft like Xian KJ 600. Thus, it is pertinent to note here that the previous Shandong and Liaoning carriers were pretty insufficient in lifting heavy aircraft. The launch of the Fujian makes it apparent that it will carry all the weighty aircraft including the latest Xian KJ 600 which is the heaviest Chinese aircraft.