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China’s aircraft carriers

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China’s aircraft carriers
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s aircraft carriers. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, uses electromagnetic catapults. Photo: Xinhua
China’s military

Why do China and other powers still want aircraft carriers?

Submarines and drones are ‘the story of naval warfare in the 21st century’ but carriers continue to be an important symbol of military might.

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China’s military drills

Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

US-China relations

Why the US missile system heading to Japan could be a ‘sitting duck’ for China

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China’s military drills

Breaking the chain? Why Hainan holds the key to survival for China’s carriers

Sanya naval complex in country’s island province gives warships room to manoeuvre and counter US first island chain, report says.

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The commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony is held for the Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, in Sanya on China’s southern Hainan province on November 5, 2025. Photo: Xinhua via AP
China's military weapons

Is China building the world’s largest naval support ship?

Photos of a giant hull released by state-owned shipbuilder trigger speculation that the vessel will be used to supply carrier groups.

China's military weapons

Could all of China’s aircraft carriers soon operate J-35 stealth fighters?

Only one vessel can now host the cutting-edge jet, but satellite images and state media hints indicate that might be changing.

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China's military weapons

PLA’s new Type 076 ‘drone carrier’ set for South China Sea training drills

China’s next-level amphibious warship, the Sichuan, in same waters where US, Japan and the Philippines are conducting joint military exercises.

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China’s first drone-carrying Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, on its maiden sea trial last November. Photo: CCTV
China's military weapons

Shandong’s use of PLA dry dock near South China Sea suggests carrier milestone

China may avoid a ‘carrier gap’ and could support carrier operations along the Indian Ocean to the Middle East and beyond, analysts say.

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China's military weapons

China’s next generation of warships will be propelled by a 50MW gas turbine

The advanced technology is part of Beijing’s push to establish a self-reliant supply chain for sectors deemed critical to national security.

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China’s navy

US Navy aircraft crashes offer lessons for PLA carrier operations, analysts say

Chinese military could learn from rival’s strengths in search and rescue response, but also its weaknesses in maintenance and training.

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Two US Navy aircraft based on the USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within half an hour of each other in October. Photo: Handout
China's military weapons

China’s ‘carrier killer’ hypersonic missile YJ-20 in final testing: video

Chinese military’s recently unveiled longest-range missile appears to be nearing mass production.

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The Chinese military released footage on Sunday of the YJ-20 hypersonic missile in a test launch from a Type 055 destroyer. Photo: China Military Bugle
China's military weapons

A look at China’s ‘Flying Shark’ J-15 jet that made waves near Japan

Fighter in service for more than a decade often patrols potential conflict hotspots including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

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China's military weapons

Is China’s Fujian gearing up for a dual aircraft carrier exercise?

Satellite images indicate the vessel has docked with the Liaoning at a naval base in the country’s east.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

China not only forced a trade war backdown, it displayed its hi-tech military might from the waters off Australia to the skies near Japan.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's military weapons

PLA’s Fujian aircraft carrier transits Taiwan Strait as Taipei watches closely

Island’s defence ministry says vessel’s passage through the waterway showed ‘no military intent’ and no aircraft were seen on its deck.

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A surveillance photograph of the Fujian shows no sign of carrier-based aircraft on the vessel’s flight deck during the transit. Photo: Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence
China’s military drills

Japan keeps tabs on 4 Chinese navy ships near Okinawa after weekend stand-off

China’s ‘capabilities in long-range, unmanned combat operations mean we can neutralise any threat with precision’, commentator tells CCTV.

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China's military weapons

Top honours for engineers spotlight China’s gains in military technology

Researchers elevated to national academy for contributions to plane engines and carrier launch system.

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China’s military drills

China’s Fujian carrier completes first training shortly after entering service

‘First maritime live-force training’ since November 5 commissioning comes at a time of growing tensions with Japan over Taiwan comments.

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The Fujian practised multiple catapult launches and arrested landings with its ship-based aircraft, according to state media. Photo: CCTV
China’s military drills

China’s aircraft carriers put to ‘train-as-you-fight’ test beyond island chains

PLA Daily sheds new light on navy’s drills to increase launch frequency and far-sea combat readiness.

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Trending in China

Chinese man who donated US$20 as child to aircraft carrier project visits fleet 26 years on

Little boy whose father was a PLA soldier dreamed of a well-defended nation; developed lifelong fascination for the military.

South China Sea

Opinion | How does China’s modernising navy stack up against the US seventh fleet?

Between what the US can sustain in the region vs what China can concentrate near its shores, the calculation increasingly favours Beijing.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China's military weapons

Images suggest China is building its first nuclear-powered carrier

War Zone report says hull of Type 004 being built in Dalian has what might be a reactor containment structure.

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China’s new Type 004 aircraft carrier is under construction at the Dalian shipyard in the northeastern province of Liaoning. Photo: X/Tokcoslsp
China military reform

Meet Ma Weiming, the Chinese naval genius behind the Fujian’s catapult

Ma, father of the carrier’s electromagnetic launch system, is among a select few at the vessel’s commissioning ceremony.

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China's military weapons

How did the Chinese navy train talent for the Fujian aircraft carrier?

The process of training operators for the electromagnetic launch catapult on the newly commissioned warship may have started back in 2017.

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China's military weapons

Will China’s new aircraft carrier tilt the power balance in the western Pacific?

The Fujian is the PLA Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier and it is expected to be used to project global power.

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China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, was commissioned on Wednesday at a port in Sanya, Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

China’s Fujian carrier on track for rapid combat readiness. Will there be more?

China has the potential to produce more aircraft carriers, including nuclear-powered ones, according to state media.

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China’s Fujian aircraft carrier is commissioned at a naval port in Sanya in south China’s Hainan province on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Fujian Type 003 aircraft carrier

China’s third aircraft carrier enters service

The Fujian, China’s first self-developed aircraft carrier, entered service on Wednesday after about 18 months of sea trials. The vessel launches planes with electromagnetic catapults, a technology previously only used by the US.

China's military weapons

Is China’s new Type 076 drone carrier starting key catapult test?

Claims have appeared on Chinese social media that PLA’s most advanced amphibious warship, the Sichuan, has been undergoing systems testing.

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