China's Fujian aircraft carrier, which will house fifth-generation J-35 fighters, will pose a major threat to Taiwan

A few days ago, a photo of China's Fujian aircraft carrier appeared on Chinese social media. Taiwan's Ministry of Defence is wary of the promising ship of China's People's Liberation Army.

Here's What We Know

Taiwan's defence ministry believes the Fujian will pose a major threat to the country in the event of a military conflict. China is expected to begin testing the aircraft carrier's electromagnetic catapults soon.

The Fujian will be one of the largest aircraft carriers in the world. It will be only a few metres shorter than the USS Gerald R. Ford. The future ship will be China's first aircraft carrier with electromagnetic catapults. The People's Liberation Army now operates the Shandong and Liaoning with outdated springboards.

The deck of the Fujian aircraft carrier will carry J-35 and J-15T fighter jets. The former will be the Chinese analogue of the US F-35C Lightning II aircraft. The J-15T, on the other hand, is a deck modernisation of the fourth-generation J-15 fighter. It is expected to be the one that will participate in the electromagnetic catapult test.

The Fujian will have a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, an increase of 20,000 tonnes compared to the Shandong and Liaoning. China's third aircraft carrier will join the fleet in two years.

Source: scmp