The launch represents a “significant set of developments in the evolution of China’s navy,” said Lyle Goldstein, Asia program director for the Defense Priorities think tank in Washington, D.C.
Goldstein could not verify that China is the first to launch fifth-generation fighters by EMALS but said if true, it would “be somewhat remarkable and may genuinely reflect China’s impressive advance in carrier aviation,” he said by email Tuesday.
The Fujian’s system means its carrier group can field a wider variety of aircraft with heavier loads of fuel and weapons, which “dramatically” increases their combat abilities, Goldstein said.
EMALS is also a significant technological leap from China’s two previous carriers, the Shandong and Liaoning, which employ ski-jump decks.
However, both Goldstein and Roggeveen said the advances should be considered through the lens of military experience and technological worth.
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