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The Supercarrier and the Sea Drone A New Age of Naval Power

Monday, 10 November 2025 02:32

Summary

The commissioning of China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, marks a profound technological and strategic milestone in Beijing's quest for a 'blue water' navy capable of global power projection. The 80,000-tonne vessel, featuring an advanced electromagnetic catapult system, places China as the world's second-largest carrier operator, directly challenging the long-held naval dominance of the United States in the Indo-Pacific. However, this monumental investment in traditional capital ships arrives at a moment when the very calculus of naval warfare is being rewritten by the conflict in Ukraine. There, a navy without a single large warship has used inexpensive, unmanned surface vessels to inflict a functional defeat on Russia's Black Sea Fleet, forcing a strategic retreat. This juxtaposition—the emergence of the supercarrier alongside the proven lethality of the sea drone—forces a critical re-evaluation of whether the future of maritime supremacy belongs to the colossal, multi-billion-pound floating airbase or to the swarm of low-cost, asymmetric, and expendable robotic craft.

The Dragon's New Flagship

The official commissioning of the aircraft carrier Fujian on 5 November 2025 represented a watershed moment for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and a clear signal of China’s accelerating maritime ambitions [Ref: 1.3, 1.8, 1.11]. The ceremony, which was personally attended by President Xi Jinping at the Sanya naval base on Hainan island, underscored the immense strategic importance Beijing places on the vessel [Ref: 1.3, 1.8, 1.10, 1.20]. Designated as the Type 003, the Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier and the first to be entirely designed and constructed using indigenous capabilities [Ref: 1.4, 1.11, 1.20]. At a full load displacement of between 80,000 and 85,000 tonnes, the ship is a true 'supercarrier,' closely matching the raw dimensions of the United States Navy’s Nimitz-class vessels [Ref: 1.4, 1.12, 1.24]. This size places the Fujian as the third-largest class of aircraft carrier in active service globally [Ref: 1.3]. The most significant technological leap is the integration of an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) [Ref: 1.4, 1.8, 1.10, 1.11, 1.20]. The Fujian is equipped with three electromagnetic catapults, making the PLAN only the second navy in the world, after the US Navy, to operate this advanced launch technology [Ref: 1.4, 1.10, 1.20]. This system represents a dramatic improvement over the ski-jump (STOBAR) ramps used on China’s first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong [Ref: 1.3, 1.8, 1.11, 1.20]. The EMALS allows for the launch of heavier aircraft with greater fuel and weapons payloads, significantly increasing the carrier’s operational efficiency and combat radius [Ref: 1.8, 1.10, 1.11, 1.20]. Crucially, the new system enables the Fujian to deploy the KJ-600 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, a critical capability that provides the carrier strike group with long-range reconnaissance and command-and-control far from land-based support [Ref: 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.20]. The carrier’s air wing is also expected to include the J-35 stealth fighter, a fifth-generation aircraft that successfully completed its first electromagnetic launch from the Fujian during sea trials in September 2025 [Ref: 1.4, 1.12, 1.17, 1.20]. The Fujian’s propulsion system is conventionally powered by steam turbines and diesel generators, unlike the nuclear-powered carriers of the US Navy, which allows for almost indefinite operations without refuelling [Ref: 1.4, 1.9, 1.11, 1.12, 1.24]. Despite this difference, the commissioning of the Fujian marks China’s formal entry into a 'three-carrier era,' a necessary step for maintaining a continuous operational presence at sea [Ref: 1.3, 1.20].

The Blue Water Ambition

The expansion of the PLAN’s carrier fleet is the most visible manifestation of President Xi Jinping’s decades-long drive to build a 'world-class' military by 2035 [Ref: 1.8, 1.9]. The strategic goal is to transform the PLAN from a coastal defence force into a true 'blue water' navy, capable of projecting power across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond [Ref: 1.3, 1.8, 1.10, 1.11]. The concept of a blue water navy is intrinsically linked to the ability to operate sustained air power thousands of kilometres from home ports, a capability that only aircraft carriers can provide [Ref: 1.6]. The Fujian is designed to extend China’s influence along its vital sea lanes and to contest control of the Second Island Chain, where the United States maintains key military facilities, such as those on Guam [Ref: 1.5, 1.9, 1.12]. While China now operates three carriers, the US Navy maintains a significant numerical and qualitative advantage with 11 large, nuclear-powered carriers in active service [Ref: 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 1.24]. The US fleet’s total combined deck space is more than twice that of all other nations combined [Ref: 1.26]. Furthermore, American carriers are supported by a larger fleet of high-quality, influential vessels, including a greater number of destroyers, which form the backbone of any modern fleet [Ref: 1.7, 1.27]. However, the PLAN already holds the distinction of being the world’s largest navy by the sheer number of hulls, operating approximately 788 ships compared to the US Navy’s 299 combat vessels [Ref: 1.21, 1.24, 1.27]. This numerical advantage, even if composed of smaller ships like frigates and corvettes, hints at a strategy focused on mass production and regional saturation [Ref: 1.27]. The commissioning of the Fujian, therefore, is not merely an addition to the fleet; it is a step-change in China’s capacity for force projection, signalling an intent to close the technological and operational gap with the US [Ref: 1.5, 1.8, 1.9, 1.12].

The Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea

The immediate strategic context for the Fujian’s deployment is the escalating tension in the Indo-Pacific, particularly concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea [Ref: 1.5, 1.11, 1.20]. The carrier is named after the Chinese province that faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, a symbolic choice that underscores its primary operational theatre [Ref: 1.10, 1.11]. In the near term, the Fujian’s value is coercive, providing thickening air cover for potential blockade or 'presence' operations from the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea [Ref: 1.5, 1.12]. The ability to launch a sustained air campaign against Taiwan, Japan, or other regional neighbours presents an extremely significant regional threat [Ref: 1.7]. The carrier’s advanced capabilities, including the J-35 stealth fighter and the KJ-600 AEW&C, allow it to operate its most advanced aircraft deep into the Pacific, extending China’s surveillance and pressure on rival claimants in regional maritime disputes [Ref: 1.5, 1.9, 1.12]. The deployment of the Fujian compels the US and its allies, such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia, to adjust their Indo-Pacific strategies to counter China’s growing blue-water capabilities [Ref: 1.3, 1.11, 1.27]. The US Navy’s response has been to rely on its existing fleet of 11 carriers and to deepen coordination with regional partners like the QUAD nations [Ref: 1.11, 1.27]. The presence of a modern, indigenously built supercarrier is also a powerful symbol of national pride and technological self-reliance for China [Ref: 1.11].

The Black Sea Laboratory

The arrival of the Fujian as a symbol of traditional naval might is juxtaposed against a profound shift in maritime doctrine demonstrated in the Black Sea [Ref: 1.22, 1.23]. In the conflict with Russia, Ukraine, a nation with no large warships, has successfully challenged and effectively defeated Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the immediate coastal area [Ref: 1.22, 1.23]. This 'functional defeat' was achieved through the innovative and mass deployment of inexpensive, asymmetric weapons, primarily uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or sea drones, such as the Magura V5 and SeaBaby [Ref: 1.19, 1.22, 1.23, 1.25]. These drones, costing approximately $200,000 apiece, have been used to damage or destroy about a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including large landing ships and missile carriers worth billions of dollars [Ref: 1.19, 1.22, 1.25]. The sinking of the Russian flagship, the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, in April 2022 by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles was a pivotal moment, marking the largest warship sunk in combat since the Second World War [Ref: 1.13, 1.23]. Subsequent drone attacks, including a daring raid on Sevastopol in October 2022 and strikes on the Kerch Bridge, forced the Russian fleet to withdraw its high-value assets from Crimea to more distant ports [Ref: 1.19, 1.22, 1.23, 1.25]. The success of these low-cost, high-impact operations has been hailed by international experts as a revolution in maritime warfare, demonstrating the vulnerability of traditional naval forces to unmanned systems in enclosed areas like the Black Sea [Ref: 1.19, 1.23, 1.25]. The conflict has proven that a smaller power, through technological ingenuity and adaptive tactics, can effectively overcome the traditional military strengths of a dominant force [Ref: 1.23].

The Obsolescence Debate

The dual narrative of the Fujian’s commissioning and the Black Sea’s drone war reignites the long-standing debate over the survivability and relevance of large capital ships in modern warfare [Ref: 1.13, 1.15]. Critics argue that multi-billion-pound aircraft carriers are now little more than floating targets for advanced anti-ship missiles (ASMs) [Ref: 1.13, 1.15]. China itself possesses some of the most potent of these weapons, including the DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles, which are reported to have ranges of up to 2,000 kilometres and are designed to inflict a 'mission kill' on a carrier [Ref: 1.15]. The sinking of the Moskva, while a cruiser operating largely alone, vaulted the missile threat into the limelight [Ref: 1.13, 1.15]. However, proponents of the carrier concept maintain that the platform remains irreplaceable for power projection and deterrence [Ref: 1.6, 1.16]. A modern carrier never operates alone; it is the centrepiece of a Carrier Strike Group (CSG), which provides layered defences with escorting destroyers, frigates, and submarines equipped with long-range air defence and anti-submarine systems [Ref: 1.6, 1.13]. The US Navy is actively adapting to the new threat environment by expanding the range of its carrier aircraft using platforms like the MQ-25 Stingray aerial refuelling drone, allowing the carrier to operate farther from harm’s way [Ref: 1.13]. Furthermore, the role of the carrier is evolving from a primary offensive asset to a utility and command-and-control platform [Ref: 1.16, 1.18]. In an age defined by information advantage, the carrier can serve as the infrastructure for commanders to synthesise massive streams of data and make real-time decisions, a role that keeps it relevant for decades to come [Ref: 1.13, 1.18]. The future of naval supremacy may not be a simple choice between the supercarrier and the sea drone, but rather a complex integration of the two, where the carrier acts as the mobile, high-end command hub for a dispersed network of manned and unmanned systems [Ref: 1.6, 1.18].

Conclusion

The commissioning of the Fujian is a powerful statement of China’s arrival as a premier maritime power, a technological feat that closes a significant capability gap with the United States and fundamentally alters the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific [Ref: 1.8, 1.12]. The vessel is a testament to the enduring belief in the aircraft carrier as the ultimate symbol and tool of global influence, a floating fortress that defines the limits of a nation’s reach [Ref: 1.6]. Yet, the lessons from the Black Sea cannot be ignored, as the conflict has demonstrated that the traditional hierarchy of naval power can be upended by low-cost, asymmetric technology [Ref: 1.22, 1.23]. The success of Ukraine’s sea drones forces every major navy, including the PLAN and the US Navy, to confront the vulnerability of large, expensive surface combatants to swarming, expendable threats [Ref: 1.19, 1.23]. The true measure of naval supremacy in the coming decades will therefore not be determined solely by the size of a nation’s carrier fleet, but by its ability to integrate and defend against this new wave of unmanned systems [Ref: 1.6, 1.18]. The future of naval power will likely be a hybrid one, where the supercarrier remains a necessary, high-value asset for power projection in distant waters, but one that must operate with extreme caution, supported by a sophisticated, multi-layered defence against the very asymmetric threats that have proven so devastating in the Black Sea [Ref: 1.13, 1.15, 1.18].

References

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    Supports the commissioning date (Nov 5, 2025), Xi Jinping's attendance, the Fujian's status as China's third and most advanced carrier, its EMALS technology, its 80,000-tonne displacement, and the comparison to the US's 11 carriers.

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    Provides detailed specifications: Type 003, first indigenously designed, CATOBAR capable, EMALS with MVDC power system, displacement (80,000–85,000 t), and air wing composition (J-35, J-15T, KJ-600).

  3. Fujian carrier a flashy flex but not a game-changer - Asia Times

    Supports the strategic context of the Fujian: blue-water ambitions, testing US naval primacy, coercive value for blockade/presence operations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and the lag behind the US in numbers and operational mastery.

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    Supports the use of Magura V5 sea drones, the number of Russian vessels hit (18), the forced retreat of the Black Sea Fleet, and the change in naval warfare character.

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    Confirms the commissioning date (Nov 5), the 'three-carrier era,' the EMALS technology, and the comparison of the Fujian's size to the Liaoning and Shandong.

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    Supports the 'functional defeat' of the Black Sea Fleet, the use of $200,000 drones (Magura) to damage/destroy a third of the fleet, and the forced retreat from Ukrainian shores.

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    Supports the sinking of the Moskva by Neptune missiles, the use of Magura-V5 and SeaBaby drones, the damage/destruction of 26 Russian vessels, and the strategic ingenuity of non-traditional approaches.

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    Provides the comparison of total ships (China 370+ vs US 295) and the size difference (Fujian 85,000 tons vs Ford 100,000 tons).

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    Supports the US Navy's 11 nuclear-powered CATOBAR carriers and their combined deck space being over twice that of all other nations.

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    Supports China having the world's largest navy by number of operational warships (234) and the US holding a qualitative edge in destroyers and carriers.

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