China's Navy Releases First Video of Electromagnetic Catapult Launches
For the first time, China's PLA Navy has released video footage of aircraft launch and recovery with a catapult aboard the new carrier Fujian, which leapfrogged steam technology and jumped straight to electromagnetic launch.
The new carrier Fujian is currently operating in the South China Sea on a final shakedown cruise prior to its commissioning date. A newly-released video shows that at some point this year, it launched and recovered at least three different PLA Navy aircraft - the J-15T fighter, the J-35 stealth fighter and the KJ-600 airborne early warning plane. These are the three key components of its air wing.
Three types of carrier-based aircraft, including J-15T, J-35 and KJ-600, completed catapult launch and landing training on board the PLANS Fujian for the first time this year, demonstrating the Fujian’s capability of electromagnetic catapult and recovery operations. pic.twitter.com/XATTs1yCtu
— ChinaNavy (@China_Navy) September 22, 2025
Fujian is China's first catapult-equipped carrier, and adds significantly to the capabilities of the Soviet-designed Liaoning and Shandong. Both of these previous-generation carriers have a ski-jump ramp at the bow, an arrangement that lacks the accelerating force a catapult provides on a carrier's ultra-short runway. Launches performed from a ski-jump carrier are typically limited in fuel and weapons stores, restricting the combat range and capability of the air wing; however, as an incremental starting point towards modern carrier aviation, these two older vessels have provided China with invaluable training time for pilots and sailors.
Fujian's launch system is superficially similar to the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy's new $13 billion supercarrier, raising considerable speculation about the source of the engineering. The Chinese carrier is the first anywhere outside of the U.S. to incorporate this technology; unlike Ford, which houses two nuclear reactors to generate electricity for the launch system, Fujian is conventionally powered.
Fujian brings new capabilities to the South China Sea, not just in firepower but also in signaling to China's rivals. "Only those with ill intentions would feel nervous" about the carrier's presence, Chinese military commentator Fu Qianshao told state outlet Global Times earlier this month.