It is being a busy summer in the Chinese Navy. There are no official ads, but two of their new naval fighters flying in formation have ‘hunted’. And these last weeks have appeared indicated that China is already finalizing the tuning of the crown jewel of its military arm: the Fujian aircraft carriers. As? Testing its electromagnetic catapults with real aircraft.
And there is a key date for a demonstration of strength: the 80th anniversary of Japanese defeat in World War II.
The Fujian. China has the largest naval force in the world, it is something key in its strategy in the South China Sea, but in the aircrafts they were delayed in front of its main rival: United States. Faced with the 11 nuclear propulsion aircraft carriers of the American fleet, China had two (and none with nuclear propulsion, something they still have). The third, built entirely with its technology, is the Type 003, known as Fujian.
It is part of the country’s maritime propaganda and, although it has not yet been delivered to the Navy, it has been caught several times performing maneuvers on the high seas and with deck airplanes. And something that the Fujian stands out is for being one of the only two aircraft carriers with electromagnetic catapults.
Electromagnetic catapults. Although huge, the track carrier is not long enough for the ships to take security. That is why the plane is promoted by means of a complex mechanical system composed of cables, pipes and pumps of a hydraulic system. It is expensive and needs high maintenance, but there is an alternative: Emals.
Known as “Electromagnetic catapult”, this system is a linear induction engine that, by electromagnets, displaces a piece that hooks the plane and moves at full speed through a raíl, pulling the ship until the end of the track, releasing it at the last moment.
Marking muscle (in secret). This system not only allows heavier or more fuel airplanes, but also reduces mechanical tension on the fuselage of the airplanes themselves, prolonging its useful life, occupies less space in the ship and also reduces the maintenance of the launch system. It is a system that led to the other carriers that mounts it, the already operational Gerald R. Ford, but refined, is the future of aircraft carriers.
Well, there are indications that China is already testing this electromagnetic system with real airplanes. As we see in The War Zone, the authorities have not yet shown the launch of airplanes from the Fujian, but in recent days images that show aircraft with the post -founded post -doctors and in the launch position on the Fujian deck. In addition, images of plane shadows projected in the same cover have been seen.
This indicates that it is most likely that China is already launching and recovering airplanes from the Fujian or, at least, is very close to doing so as part of the final tests before delivering the ship for active service at the end of this year.
Test aircraft
And not so secret. What is official is that China has another new member of the fleet known as the 076 Type. It is an amphibious ship that would be unique in the world by having a large cover that, in one of its parts, also hides an electromagnetic catapult.
The ship opened on August 1 with a pompous ceremony, and the interesting thing about EMALS systems is that they can not only be used to launch airplanes. As they simplify the process of launching aircraft and are a more versatile system than the hydraulic, it can also be used to launch unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, a segment in which China is also very interested.
Type 076 ‘Sichuan’ images
Swarm attacks. One of the objectives of the Asian giant is to dominate the South China Sea. It is one of the most tense areas on the planet because it is the one that it shares with Taiwan or India, and we already know that both are fortifying their maritime positions before possible Chinese military maneuvers. The United States also looks closely and that culmination of the program of modernization of the restless fleet to Japan, who announced a few months ago its most ambitious rearmament since World War II.
And, in that maritime domain, ships with electromagnetic catapults play a fundamental role in allowing large -scale air operations. Compared to the hydraulic system, the EMALS allows you to launch a plane every 45 seconds, 25% faster than conventional catapults. This favors the adoption of tactics such as “swarm attacks”, or alpha strikesin which aircraft are launched with a short cadence to saturate and overcome enemy defenses, achieving aerial superiority.
China and the US, as usual. In addition to these advantages, it is a system that allows to extend the radius of action of the Naval Force to operate early alert planes and electronic warfare in a deeper way in the oceans. And this technology, as we say, only have both the United States – operating – and China with ships that are about to enter service.
And the rest of the world? Well, he is working on it, but at another speed. France, for example, that has a fleet in which Charles de Gaulle is his crown jewel, is developing an Emals system for its new generation aircraft that will enter service at some point at the end of the 2030s. India, which occasionally remembers China that has aircraft carriers, is investigating it. And United Kingdom, although he has considered it, has not yet adopted, since it has vertical take -off aircraft.
September 3. The rivalry between China and Japan comes from afar, but a good time to officially present advances in the electromagnetic catapults of Fujian can be this September, when the 80 years of Japan’s defeat in World War II are commemorated. The United States with the launch of two atomic bombs accelerated 6th Japanese surrender and you will be wondering what China paints in this, but it is September 3 when China celebrates Victory Day.
They underline their narrative about their role in the defeat of fascism and there are several large -scale commemorative acts planned for this year. In the Tiananmen square -that square -a great military parade will be held, but there will also be other acts in which the latest army technology is shown. We will have to wait for a public demonstration of the Fujian electromagnetic catapult is among those demonstrations.
Imágenes | Ministry of National Defense The People´s Republic of China/ LI GANG/XINHUA
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