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Excerpt from m.economictimes.comHong Kong: China’s third aircraft carrier, christened Fujian after the name of the Mainland Chinese province that sits opposite Taiwan, represents a marked technological leap forward compared to the first two carriers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).Much larger in size, and fitted with several catapults rather than the ski jump ramp found on the in-service 60,000-tonne-class Liaoning and Shandong carriers – which were commissioned in 2012 and 2019 respectively – this newest Type 003 carrier will be able to operate a larger and more capable fleet of shipborne aircraft.
With this third flattop on the way, China’s aircraft carrier fleet will be the second largest in the world, trailing only the USA with its eleven active carriers. The pending arrival of a third carrier also raises the question of just how many of these prestigious vessels China needs or plans to field.
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