In late 2025 or early 2026, the world will witness a milestone in global naval history. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is preparing to field its first operational stealth fighters at sea—the twin-engine J-35—aboard the Type 003 Fujian supercarrier.
This pairing is more than the arrival of another warship. It signals Beijing’s entry into the elite club of navies capable of deploying catapult-launched stealth aircraft—something no power outside the United States has achieved. For Washington, Tokyo, New Delhi, Canberra, and other capitals, the implications are profound: China is on the cusp of matching U.S. carrier aviation, the crown jewel of American sea power for more than a century.
The Indo-Pacific security order may never look the same.
Launched in June 2022, the Fujian is unlike China’s earlier carriers Liaoning and Shandong, both of which relied on ski-jump ramps and Soviet-derived designs. At 316 meters in length and over 80,000 tons displacement, the Fujian is a supercarrier in every sense.
Most importantly, it carries an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), similar to that on America’s newest Gerald R. Ford–class carriers. EMALS allows heavier, fully armed jets to be launched at higher sortie rates compared to ski-jumps, while enabling the integration of airborne early warning aircraft such as the KJ-600.
By mid-2025, the Fujian had completed eight sea trials, testing propulsion, power systems, and catapult readiness. Satellite imagery in August revealed final preparations for aircraft trials, suggesting that J-35 deck integration could begin before year’s end. Once operational, analysts expect the carrier to host 60–70 aircraft: stealth J-35s, upgraded J-15Ts, KJ-600s, and Z-20 helicopters.
This “complete” air wing would place China’s Fujian in a class comparable to U.S. Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers.
The Shenyang J-35 is the centerpiece of China’s naval aviation revolution. Derived from the earlier FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” prototype, it has been re-engineered for the rigors of carrier operations with reinforced landing gear, folding wings, and arrestor hooks.
Externally, the J-35 resembles Western stealth designs, with a chiseled nose, canted tails, and internal weapons bays. It carries advanced avionics, sensor fusion, an AESA radar, and electronic warfare systems. Its internal bays can house PL-15 long-range missiles and the next-generation PL-21, giving it the reach to threaten U.S. tankers and AWACS aircraft—critical enablers in the vast Indo-Pacific battlespace.
Footage from state media in mid-2025 confirmed multiple J-35s in production lines at Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, with navalized versions bearing PLAN markings. Close-ups revealed launch bars and reinforced hooks—evidence that the fighter is tailored for EMALS launches.
While engine performance remains a concern—China is still refining its WS-19 turbofan—the J-35 represents Beijing’s most formidable leap yet in military aviation.
The commissioning of Fujian marks the beginning of what Chinese strategists call the “three-carrier era.”
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Liaoning serves primarily as a training and doctrine platform.
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Shandong provides mass, already integrated into dual-carrier exercises.
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Fujian introduces stealth, catapult launches, and long-range strike.
With these three hulls, China can for the first time sustain dual-carrier deployments while keeping a third carrier in reserve or rotation. The PLAN will also gain the ability to conduct three-carrier task force exercises, mirroring U.S. doctrine.
A Fujian-led group, screened by Type 055 Renhai-class destroyers and nuclear-powered submarines, could operate far beyond the first island chain, projecting power into the Indian Ocean or deep Pacific.
For Washington and its allies, the Fujian–J-35 pairing is a strategic earthquake.
For decades, the U.S. Navy’s carrier strike groups have been the uncontested backbone of deterrence in Asia, able to operate off Taiwan, in the South China Sea, or along the Korean Peninsula with little peer challenge. That era is ending.
A stealth-equipped Chinese carrier force could complicate U.S. intervention in a Taiwan crisis, projecting long-range strikes under the protective umbrella of China’s land-based missile arsenal. U.S. carrier groups operating in contested waters would face unprecedented risk, as J-35s could attempt to neutralize support aircraft and disrupt strike packages.
Japan is already upgrading its Izumo-class carriers for F-35Bs, India is accelerating work on its indigenous TEDBF stealth carrier jet, and Australia has deepened defense pacts under AUKUS. Southeast Asian nations face harder choices: hedge between China and the U.S., or prepare to accommodate Beijing’s expanding naval reach.
Globally, Europe and the Middle East are also watching. China’s success demonstrates that even without nuclear propulsion, a nation can leap into high-end carrier aviation if it masters EMALS and stealth fighters.
The rise of the Fujian and J-35 will fuel a new round of naval competition. Washington is already investing in:
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Sixth-generation fighters under the F/A-XX program.
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Unmanned carrier-based drones like the MQ-25 Stingray for refueling and surveillance.
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Advanced missile defense systems to protect carrier groups against long-range Chinese and Russian threats.
Meanwhile, Beijing is unlikely to stop with the Fujian. Reports suggest a nuclear-powered carrier—often referred to as the Type 004—is already in planning, which would give the PLAN global endurance without reliance on fuel logistics.
Despite its breakthroughs, China’s carrier aviation faces steep hurdles:
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Engines: The WS-19 turbofan must prove itself in high-tempo carrier operations. Reliability issues could limit J-35 performance.
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Pilot Training: Carrier aviation is among the most complex skills in modern warfare. The U.S. Navy has honed it for a century; China is compressing that learning curve into a decade.
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Sustainment: Operating a supercarrier and stealth air wing requires immense logistical and industrial capacity, from spare parts to overseas basing.
Yet Beijing’s track record suggests it will not be deterred. In less than ten years, the PLAN has progressed from a refurbished Soviet hulk (Liaoning) to an indigenous supercarrier with catapults and stealth fighters.
The Fujian–J-35 combination is more than a technical feat. It is a declaration: China intends to contest maritime dominance across the Indo-Pacific and safeguard its trade arteries into the Indian Ocean.
For the United States, it is a warning that the post-Cold War monopoly on carrier aviation supremacy is over. For regional powers, it is a wake-up call that naval strategies must adapt—or risk obsolescence.
By 2026, the PLAN could field three operational carriers, with Fujian at the vanguard. That force would allow Beijing to rotate presence across the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Indian Ocean, projecting influence and denying rivals easy access.
