The CCP Fujian may also participate in the "silent military exercise". There are different opinions on whether it will achieve combat effectiveness after serving for one year.

China's Fujian aircraft carrier may participate in this "silent military exercise." (AP file photo)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Reporting from Taipei] China's third aircraft carrier "Fujian" was officially commissioned on November 5 last year, just over a year ago. China's state-run media CCTV recently revealed that the Fujian has completed electromagnetic catapult take-off and landing of multiple types of carrier-based aircraft, cross-sea navigation and preliminary formation training, and has "basically formed combat effectiveness." This year is a critical year for the transition towards fully forming combat effectiveness. Although Chinese military experts had previously optimistically predicted that it would be equipped with full combat capabilities by the end of this year, US military media believe that it remains to be seen whether the Fujian can complete all combat capability certifications within about a year of service.

The Fujian has a full-load displacement of about 80,000 tons. It is China's first aircraft carrier to adopt an electromagnetic catapult system. Unlike the Liaoning and Shandong, which use ski-jump decks, it can operate J-35 stealth fighters, J-15T fighters and KJ-600 fixed-wing early warning aircraft in an electromagnetic catapult mode, improving carrier-based aircraft payload, dispatch efficiency and fleet airborne early warning capabilities. In addition, some Chinese netizens claimed that they had recently seen the Fujian sailing with a variety of carrier-based aircraft on its deck, and it may also be involved in exercises, but whether this is true remains to be clarified.

According to public information, the Fujian released for the first time in September 2025 the electromagnetic catapult take-off and arrested landing images of the three-type carrier-based aircraft. After entering the fleet in November of the same year, it successively implemented J-35, J-15T, J-15DT electronic combat aircraft and Air Police-600 take-off and landing training, and conducted ship formation navigation, ship-aircraft joint search and rescue and other subjects. Chinese official media claimed that the Fujian has achieved cross-sea operation and preliminary fleet coordination capabilities.

However, basic combat capability does not mean that it can engage in high-intensity sea and air combat. The "Global Times" quoted Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe on the 5th as saying that the Fujian still has three major thresholds before it can achieve full combat capability, including continuous dispatch and recovery of the carrier-based aircraft at full load, take-off and landing at night and in rough sea conditions, as well as the command, information sharing and joint combat capabilities of the carrier-based aircraft and escort ships. In particular, whether carrier-based aircraft can continuously complete ejection, recovery, replenishment and re-deployment is an important indicator for measuring the actual combat effectiveness of an aircraft carrier.

USNI News reported in April this year that there are still doubts whether the Chinese Navy can complete all relevant certifications in a short period of time. In particular, the integration of the J-35 stealth fighter and the KJ-600 early warning aircraft is an important test for the Fujian to form a complete combat capability. So far, the Chinese Navy has not officially announced that the Fujian has achieved full combat capability. Whether it can reach the standard by the end of this year still needs to be verified by subsequent exercises.