China’s newest aircraft carrier may only be able to conduct air operations at about 60% the rate of a 50-year-old US Navy carrier, two former US carrier officers say, a substantial combat limitation for a vessel meant to revolutionize Beijing’s fleet.
The officers told CNN the configuration of the flight deck of the Fujian, expected to be commissioned soon, limits the pace at which aircraft can be launched and recovered, especially when compared with the Nimitz-class US carriers.
“The Fujian’s operational capability is only about 60% of that of the Nimitz class,” said Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain who served on two US aircraft carriers.
After examining the photographs of the Fujian’s flight deck, Schuster and retired Lt. Cmdr. Keith Stewart, a former US naval aviator, noted that the Fujian’s deck layout limits simultaneous takeoffs and landings.
In a major step forward, China has built the Fujian with an electromagnetic catapult aircraft launching system – which allows aircraft to take
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