China’s Rival to U.S. Ford Class Supercarriers Nears Service Entry: Fujian Tests Electromagnetic Catapult at Sea

China’s first supercarrier the Fujian has been confirmed to have begun its eighth sea trials, during which it will test the integration of an electromagnetic catapult system, which the ship is the only one outside the United States Navy to have installed. The testing of this system indicates that all issues with propulsion system, sensors and other key subsystems have been resolved, and that the&nbsp; warship is now close to its formal commissioning into the People’s Liberation Army Navy. A number of sources have pointed to factors, such as navigation restriction notices in the Yangtze River estuary, as indications that the schedule for completing sea trials and commissioning the vessel may have been accelerated. A number of sources have reported that sea trails may have involved electromagnetic catapult launches of new J-31 fifth generation fighters, with marks on the deck indicating that the stealth jets have landed on the ship. The J-31’s first trials on deck reportedly <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-fc31-trials-deck" target="_blank">began</a> in September 2024. Alongside the J-31, the Fujian’s&nbsp;highly diverse air wing is also expected to include enhanced <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/chinese-carrier-operational-j15b-j15d" target="_blank">J-15B ‘4+ generation’ fighters</a>, J-15D electronic attack jets, KJ-600 airborne early warning and control (AEW&amp;C) systems, and a number of drone classes including some with high endurances and advanced stealth capabilities.&nbsp;Sightings of KJ-600s in flight have become increasingly frequent, while the first public release of what appears to be an image of a serial production J-31 occurred in may.<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/04/article_68403291880e60_78862345.jpeg" title="Chinese Supercarrier Fujian">The future of China’s carrier fleet remains highly uncertain, with the possibly having been raised that the Fujian will be the first of its class. A more significant possibility is that future carriers will be larger and make use of nuclear propulsion systems, increasing their endurances, providing more power to onboard systems, and allowing them to sustain maximum speeds for considerably longer. This will likely be determined in part by the extent to which the Navy intends to operate the vessels outside the Western Pacific, as the endurance provided by current propulsion systems is considered more than sufficient for regional operations, while providing the benefit of significantly low production and operational costs and maintenance needs compared to the integration of nuclear propulsion systems. The integration of an electromagnetic catapult system, alongside the Fujian’s sheer size, places the ship in a league of its own alongside the U.S. Navy’s new <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/17billion-supercarrier-ussgrldford-1stdeployment" target="_blank">Gerald Ford Class carriers</a> in terms of the capabilities of their air wings, with the systems facilitating launches of aircraft with much greater takeoff weights, allowing for carriage of considerably more fuel and munitions. The first ship of the class, the USS Gerald Ford, began its <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/17billion-supercarrier-ussgrldford-1stdeployment" target="_blank">first operational deployment</a> in October 2022 after years of delays caused by major performance issues.&nbsp;The Fujian’s design, like that of the Gerald Ford, also allows for launches of fighters far more quickly than is possible from other non-U.S. warships such as the preceding Chinese carriers <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/chinese-aircraft-carrier-liaoning-launchers-over-100-fighter-sorties-near-american-military-bases-on-okinawa" target="_blank">Liaoning</a> and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-carrier-drills-guam-record" target="_blank">Shandong</a>, with the ability to rapidly generate sorties being highly prized.&nbsp;