China's Fujian Super-Carrier Conducts First Sea Trials: Chinese State Media

Get ready for a shake-up out in the Pacific, folks. China just flexed its shipbuilding muscles with the first sea trials of its newest and biggest aircraft carrier, the Fujian. This massive ship is a serious statement of intent from Beijing as they look to play a much bigger role on the world's oceans.

The Fujian, a true behemoth of the seas, makes China's other two carriers look small in comparison. It sailed out of Shanghai this morning, ready to put its advanced systems through the wringer. While these trials are all about engines and power, the message is clear: China's navy is getting stronger, and fast.

Why all the fuss? China's been pouring tons of resources into its navy lately. They want to challenge the way things have been in the Pacific for decades, especially around Taiwan and the South China Sea. Beijing's goal is to be a force the US can't easily ignore.

Just how powerful is China's navy getting? Well, experts say it's already the biggest in the world, and it's only set to grow even larger! And the Fujian is a game-changer – think better aircraft, longer ranges, and a whole lot more firepower.

It's all part of China's long-term game plan: to have a navy that can not only protect its interests but project power far and wide.

 

[Ranjeet Singh]

India need to make 10 Kazan class SSNs/SSGNs and 10 Barracuda SSNs to rule IOR sub surface !

 

[Bharat007]

They're industrial superpower, and their defence budget is only next to US. China is also said to be already building Type-004 Nuke driven AC. It's tonnage might even be same with American super carriers.

But India has better experience when it comes to Aircraft carriers. It's only our advantage.

 

[Anant]

India need to make 10 Kazan class SSNs/SSGNs and 10 Barracuda SSNs to rule IOR sub surface !

Go get the technology from Russia and France. Go and do that. Since neither of those nations is going to share any such technology, please stop this nonsense.

 

[The_rED_dEVIL]

They're industrial superpower, and their defence budget is only next to US. China is also said to be already building Type-004 Nuke driven AC. It's tonnage might even be same with American super carriers.

But India has better experience when it comes to Aircraft carriers. It's only our advantage.

India was the first Asian country to operate Aircraft carrier after WW2 and remainf olnly operator of ACs till 2012. India constantly operated 1 or 2 ACs since 1960s. China only bought its first carrier in 2012 (Liaoning), now they plan to field 6 carriers by 2035 including 3 nuclear ones (2nd Asian to operate ACs).

But India still having operated carriers since 1961 has only 2 STOBAR conventional carriers while China has 3 carriers already. And Indian Govt is still not approving third Vikrant class AC and INS Vishal supercarrier.

India must operate 4 carriers (2 Vikrant class and 2 Vishal class, better if one is nuclear powered) by mid-2040s to maintain naval superiority in Indian Ocean like now. Indian Navy is undoubtedly the most efficient branch of Indian Armed Forces.

 

[Anant]

India was the first Asian country to operate Aircraft carrier after WW2 and remainf olnly operator of ACs till 2012. India constantly operated 1 or 2 ACs since 1960s. China only bought its first carrier in 2012 (Liaoning), now they plan to field 6 carriers by 2035 including 3 nuclear ones (2nd Asian to operate ACs).

But India still having operated carriers since 1961 has only 2 STOBAR conventional carriers while China has 3 carriers already. And Indian Govt is still not approving third Vikrant class AC and INS Vishal supercarrier.

India must operate 4 carriers (2 Vikrant class and 2 Vishal class, better if one is nuclear powered) by mid-2040s to maintain naval superiority in Indian Ocean like now. Indian Navy is undoubtedly the most efficient branch of Indian Armed Forces.

Best case scenario for 2040 is for us to have Vikrant, Viraat (the name I propose for IAC-II, as Vikrant's half-sister), and an aging Vikramaditya, with a new, larger INS Vishal in the final stages of construction. By this point, China would quite possibly have 6 carriers in service, with another 2 in the pipeline to replace the aged Liaoning and aging Shandong.

As of now, if we could start construction work on IAC-II later this year, that would go for a keel laying in 2026-27, launch in 2029-30, sea trials starting 2033-34, and commissioning around 2036-37. In a similar vein, IAC-III would start construction around 2030-31, be laid down in 2032-33, get launched in 2036-37, go for sea trials in 2039-40, and be commissioned in 2043-44, just as Vikramaditya completes 30 years in Indian service.

Perhaps, if the Navy wants 4 carriers, and the whole thing has been approved, a sister ship to IAC-III could be under construction by the early 2040s, with entry into service in the late 2040s, at which point we would have to start looking at replacements for IAC-I and IAC-II in the late 2060s and early 2070s.

 

[Sandeep]

India has to manufacture several key carriers, diesel submarines, nuclear submarines, naval jets, next generation destroyers and frigates and corvette etc simultaneously. We can't keep manufacturing 1 carrier after another or one submarine after another and we should look at manufacturing 3-4 of each at the same time if we want to expand our military power and dominate the Indian Ocean.

We should also start developing long range hypersonic missiles which has a very large and powerful warhead that can sink carriers if we wanted to as this will threaten their carriers and give us the necessary fire power against them. We should make sure that we develop a missile that penetrates their outer hull and then blows up from inside which causes the most harm and destruction so even if it doesn't sink straight away we can severely damage it and make it inoperable.

 

[Sudha]

Instead of competing with a financially stronger china on ACs, Bharat should think about how to sink the ACs of china. It will workout cheaper & a great loss of face to china.

 

[Bhishma]

yawn. tell me when they have inducted it and fully operational. by that time India would have the capability to neutralize it with a cheap solution. its the same with tanks - used to be unbeatable in battlefield, now they can be neutralized with a cheap anti tank missile/drone.

 

[Bhishma]

Instead of competing with a financially stronger china on ACs, Bharat should think about how to sink the ACs of china. It will workout cheaper & a great loss of face to china.

agree with everything except the part on "financially stronger China". their economy is a ponzi scheme. their GDP nos are all fake. globalists have finished them off. they are hollowed out. you are just seeing the shell. sure they have the military muscle. financial muscle - not so much anymore. they will rapidly decline in the coming years.

 

[Kush Kashyap]

Alot of people here commenting to build systems to sink ACs but it's not easy only thing that can get close to ACs is submarines since ACs works in carrier groups which have alot of AA defence and Anti submarine so cost of knocking out (not sinking) an AC is 1 or multiple subs

 

[ANUP]

Build more submarine,ssn , and also missile boats , underwater drones , torpedoes, mines , create in bulk amount ,build hypersonic missiles , supersonic,carrier missiles ,these are enough to destroy any carrier ,rather than spend billions on sitting duck

 

[Bhishma]

Alot of people here commenting to build systems to sink ACs but it's not easy only thing that can get close to ACs is submarines since ACs works in carrier groups which have alot of AA defence and Anti submarine so cost of knocking out (not sinking) an AC is 1 or multiple subs

Brahmos ER has 900km range. We're yet to find out if any system has actually defended against Brahmos. It has sea skimming plus evasive maneuvers. So the edge is in favour of Brahmos as of today.

We dont need to sink the carrier. Just one hit is good. It will render the carrier inoperational. It will take several months (may be years ?) to fix it and bring it back online. It will also be very demotivating for them because what guarantee do they have that the next Brahmos is not going to hit them again ?

Age of carriers is over. For China, its a matter of prestige. It makes them equal to Americans, in their mind. Has US fielded their carriers to a decent adversary in the recent times ? They have just used it against banana republics. China can threaten someone like say Brunei with their carriers. Not India.