China Showcases Naval Power With Stealth Jet Launch via Electromagnetic Catapult

DID Press: In a landmark military achievement, China has become the first country in the world to successfully launch a stealth fighter jet from an aircraft carrier using an electromagnetic catapult system.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that the Fujian aircraft carrier — China’s first equipped with electromagnetic catapult technology — has successfully completed flight and landing tests.

The tests involved three aircraft types: the J-15T fighter, the J-35 stealth fighter, and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft.

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defense hailed the achievement as a “historic step” in advancing the country’s naval defense and operational capabilities, adding that the Fujian will soon be officially commissioned into the PLA Navy.

Chinese state media highlighted that the success demonstrates Beijing’s mastery of the complex electromagnetic catapult technology, allowing aircraft to take off with maximum payload and fuel, thus extending the Fujian’s operational range to the “second island chain” in the western Pacific.

Analysts view the development as a milestone in China’s growing ability to project power beyond its regional boundaries — from the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea to the Indian Ocean and even the Mediterranean.

The Defense Ministry reiterated that China’s weapons development remains defensive in nature, stating that the expansion of its carrier fleet aims to safeguard the nation’s “sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

Speculation continues regarding China’s construction of a fourth aircraft carrier, though Beijing has neither confirmed nor denied such reports.