Fujian carrier's electromagnetic catapult system boosts China's naval combat capabilities

China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is equipped with an advanced electromagnetic catapult system which has effectively boosted China's naval combat capabilities.

Independently designed and built by China and officially commissioned last month, the carrier named after Fujian Province in east China is the country's first carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system.

"The greatest advantage of the electromagnetic catapult is its ability to accelerate our aircraft to the required takeoff speed within a relatively short distance. Moreover, its most notable feature lies in its capacity to meet the takeoff requirements of a broader variety of our carrier-based aircraft under different operating conditions," said Bao Yu, an officer on the Fujian carrier.

"With the catapult, the sortie efficiency of the aircraft on the carrier has been significantly improved. That enables us to launch aircraft from the carrier continuously," he said.

The Fujian aircraft carrier, with hull number 18, was launched in June 2022. Unlike the ski-jump decks of China's first two carriers - the Liaoning and the Shandong - it is China's first domestically made carrier that uses catapults.

With a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the carrier is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices.

Since its first sea trials in May 2024, the Fujian has carried out a series of maritime tests according to planning, progressing with equipment commissioning and assessments of overall operational stability.

Fujian carrier's electromagnetic catapult system boosts China's naval combat capabilities

Fujian carrier's electromagnetic catapult system boosts China's naval combat capabilities

Fujian carrier's electromagnetic catapult system boosts China's naval combat capabilities

Several independent experts from the U.N. issued a statement on Wednesday denouncing the U.S. maritime blockade against Venezuela as "violating the fundamental rules of international law" and constitutes "an act of armed attack".

The experts emphasized that the U.S. has no right to impose unilateral sanctions through an armed blockade, and that, according to international law, such aggression constitutes a crime, granting all countries the power to prosecute the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.

He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.

Trump said the U.S. was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.

The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.

The U.S. has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean for almost four months, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.

Trump confirms upcoming ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America