China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is expected to achieve combat readiness sooner than the first two, and the country has the potential to produce more carriers for regular deployment on the high seas, according to state media.
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The reports also said China had the technology to build nuclear-powered carriers.
The Fujian, the nation’s most advanced carrier and the first with electromagnetic catapults, was officially commissioned in Sanya, Hainan province, on Wednesday.
It will now focus on intensive training and building combat capability, according to the navy.
“The primary task at present is to organise performance tests and verifications of new equipment and accelerate the improvement of its full-strength carrier-based aircraft deployment,” Captain Chen Zhiguo told state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday.
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Full-strength carrier-based aircraft deployment is considered a marker of aircraft carrier combat capability.
