J-35 has become the first fifth-generation fighter to take off from an EMALS-fitted carrier, with the sortie test from the new carrier Type 003 Fujian.
The footages of China’s new carrier-based aircraft were shared on local media. Among the aircraft performing sorties using the EMALS catapult, J-35 is the most attention-worthy part as it has become the first fifth-generation fighter to take off from an aircraft carrier using the electromagnetically driven catapult system.
In addition to J-35, the heavier J-15T multirole fighter and KJ-600 AEW&C have conducted sorties.
F-35C, while fielded earlier, is only available to the older carriers using steam-driven catapults. Years ago, the US Congress made a push to ensure the EMALS-fitted Gerald R. Ford-class carriers would be ready to operate the fifth-generation fighter customised for carrier-based operations. However, the carriers remain without F-35C capability due to the cost-cutting efforts overlapping with the demand for new fighters.
Type 003 Fujian is the newest aircraft carrier of the PLAN and the first to use CATOBAR operation, whereas the previous Chinese carriers use STOBAR. Compared to STOBAR operation using a ski jump, CATOBAR allows the aircraft to utilise the actual payload capacity. For a comparison, baseline J-15 is operationally constrained due to STOBAR operation compared to the catapult-launched J-15T, which can carry more fuel and munitions. Beyond the increased operational envelope for fighters, Fujian also catches up with the US Navy carriers in terms of AEW&C capability with the KJ-600.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
