India and China racing to expand their aircraft carrier fleets
China and India are intensifying efforts to bolster their naval capacities as their rivalry escalates in the Indo-Pacific region, with both nations pushing towards deploying a third aircraft carrier.
Recent footage of China's new Fujian aircraft carrier, broadcasted by state-owned CCTV on January 2, displayed what appeared to be three catapult tracks on its deck. Analysis by experts, as reported by the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times last week, indicated that the Fujian might soon undergo sea trials. Additionally, Japanese security officials believe that the carrier is in its final preparations for a test voyage.
Having been launched in June 2022, the Fujian stands as China's largest warship, boasting a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes. To put this into perspective, the largest vessel in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the JS Izumo, has a displacement of 27,000 tonnes.
Named after Fujian province, the Chinese carrier has the capacity to accommodate 60 to 70 fighter jets and early-warning aircraft—a capability at least 50% higher than that of the Liaoning, a retrofitted Ukrainian carrier, and the Shandong, China's first domestically developed carrier.
Presently, the United States possesses the world's sole armed forces equipped with operational electromagnetic catapults. Some experts perceive nuclear power as the sole viable means to meet the substantial energy demands of these catapults, although the Fujian operates on steam power.
Meanwhile, India presently operates two aircraft carriers. the Russian-made INS Vikramaditya and the INS Vikrant—a domestically constructed carrier with a displacement of approximately 43,000 tonnes, which entered service in 2022. Indian naval chief Adm. Hari Kumar stated plans in October to commission another Vikrant-class carrier.
India's fundamental naval strategy involves deploying one carrier in the Bay of Bengal to the east and another in the Arabian Sea to the west. To address this strategic gap, India is concentrating on commissioning a third carrier.
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