Video: Fujian Ship Conducts 8 Sea Trials in Two Years, Achieving Historic Leap in China's Aircraft Carrier Technology

Two years ago today, the domestically produced Fujian aircraft carrier conducted its first sea trial. Over the past two years, what projects has the Fujian completed during its total of 8 sea trials? What kind of tests has it undergone?

On May 1, 2024, our country's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, left the dock for the first time, beginning its journey of sea testing. Over these two years, this massive vessel, weighing over 80,000 tons, has completed 8 sea trials, spending a total of 117 days at sea, which is significantly longer than the Shandong's 84 days. This indicates a historic leap in our country's aircraft carrier technology.

Why does an aircraft carrier need to undergo sea trials? In fact, sea trials are like a comprehensive "check-up" for a new aircraft carrier. Just as you would test drive a new car, an aircraft carrier must also run at sea before officially entering service to see how its performance metrics hold up. The sea trials for the Fujian primarily focus on testing its power system and electrical system—its "heart" and "nervous system"—to ensure they are reliable and stable. The sea trials are mainly divided into two parts:

First, checking the equipment to see if these machines can withstand the tests of wind and waves, how easy it is to repair them if problems arise, and whether they can adapt to various environments;

Second, training personnel to familiarize the crew with operations, achieving perfect coordination between humans and machines.

However, as an electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, the Fujian's sea trial content is somewhat different from that of other carriers. First, the technical starting point is different. The Fujian is entirely designed and built independently from scratch in our country, and the electromagnetic catapult technology used for the first time is particularly complex, requiring more time for debugging and testing.

Second, the testing content is different. The Fujian is larger and heavier, and correspondingly, its power and propulsion systems are more complex. However, we completed the core projects of testing the electromagnetic catapult system, overall ship impact resistance, and carrier-based aircraft takeoff and landing in just 8 sea trials.

The two-year anniversary of the Fujian's sea trials is akin to a "coming-of-age ceremony" for China's aircraft carrier program. From the calm exploration during its first sea trial in April 2024, to the glorious moment of officially entering service in November 2025, and now to the two-year anniversary of sea trials in 2026, this is a multidimensional presentation of national strength and a vivid practice of the maritime power strategy.