An aerial drone photo taken on May 7, 2024 shows China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, during its maiden sea trials. China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, completed maiden sea trials on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
China has made significant strides in advancing its electromagnetic launch technology, marked by systematic breakthroughs in multiple critical fields, according to a recently concluded national forum as reported by official media. Experts said that electromagnetic launch technology, highlighted by its application on the aircraft carrier Fujian, also has broader uses in areas such as space launch and transportation.
China is seeing its electromagnetic launch technology transition from “catch-up” phase to “neck-to-neck competition,” and even gaining a “leading” edge in some sectors, CCTV News reported on Saturday, citing the forum recently held in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province.
At the forum, experts and scholars from military and civilian sectors elaborated on the latest research achievements in over 10 themes, including overall electromagnetic launch technology, interdisciplinary materials for electromagnetic launch, energy storage for electromagnetic launch, and the science of electromagnetic launch weaponry, CCTV News reported.
Some 120 experts and scholars delivered reports, exchanging views and discussing bottleneck issues and key technologies in the field of electromagnetic launch, according to the report.
The report also featured file footage of the aircraft carrier Fujian, the Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan and a type of electromagnetic gun developed by China.
The Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier, and also the 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, the Xinhua News Agency reported on June 17, 2022, when the aircraft carrier was launched.
Two years and a half later, China launched its first Type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, on December 27, 2024. It has a full-load displacement of over 40,000 tons and features a dual-island superstructure along with a full-length flight deck. It incorporates innovative electromagnetic catapult and arrestor technologies, enabling it to carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious equipment, Xinhua reported.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the Fujian and the Sichuan likely share electromagnetic catapult and arrestor technologies. The successful tests on the Fujian could provide experiences for the Sichuan.
The successful application of electromagnetic launch technology could pave the way for further in-depth use on other platforms, Fu said.
“We have persistently explored the field of electromagnetic launch technology. Major advancements have been made in fundamental research, key technologies and engineering applications, such as overall launch design, pulsed energy storage, power conditioning and linear propulsion,” Lu Junyong, an expert at the Naval University of Engineering of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said in the CCTV News report.
These technologies hold great application prospects in high-speed rail transit, civilian aerospace launch, and major national defense equipment, Lu was quoted as saying.
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