(VIDEO) PLAN Releases New Footage EMALS Launch Footage of J-35 Stealth Fighter from Fujian Aircraft Carrier

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has released new high-definition footage showing its fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter conducting a catapult-assisted launch from the aircraft carrier Fujian, a development that represents a structural inflection point in Asia-Pacific naval warfare with far-reaching implications for regional air–sea power projection.

This milestone is underscored by analysts assessment that “the PLAN footage indicates that China has become the first country to launch a stealth fighter aircraft off of a carrier with an electromagnetic catapult for flight operations,” signalling Beijing’s accelerated transition from a regionally focused navy into a near-peer carrier aviation power with expanding global operational ambitions.

The operational context of this release is inseparable from escalating strategic pressure points in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, where carrier-borne stealth aviation directly affects air-sea control calculations, escalation thresholds, and the survivability of surface task groups operating under contested electromagnetic and missile-saturated conditions.

Unlike earlier PLAN carriers constrained by ski-jump geometry and payload penalties, the Fujian’s electromagnetic launch architecture enables the J-35 to depart the deck with full internal fuel and weapons loads, fundamentally altering strike radius, sortie persistence, and mission flexibility in scenarios involving long-range air superiority, maritime interdiction, and deep precision strike.

This development reflects China’s long-term doctrinal emphasis on “far-seas protection,” articulated in its defence planning framework, and operationalised through carrier strike groups capable of projecting power well beyond the first island chain, compressing response times for regional adversaries and complicating allied reinforcement strategies.

From a force-balance perspective, the fusion of a fifth-generation naval stealth fighter with electromagnetic launch systems erodes a capability asymmetry historically monopolised by the United States Navy, thereby reshaping deterrence dynamics across the Indo-Pacific in ways that demand recalibration by Japan, India, Australia, and Southeast Asian maritime states.

The footage’s release timing, strategically aligned with domestic mobilisation periods and regional security flashpoints, also reflects Beijing’s information-domain strategy, using visual proof of operational maturity to reinforce credibility, signal inevitability, and deter adversarial miscalculation without direct kinetic escalation.

Collectively, the imagery, official statements, and observable technical cues indicate that China’s carrier aviation programme has entered a phase where experimental capability transitions into routine operational practice, setting the conditions for sustained high-tempo carrier air operations in contested maritime theatres.

At the strategic-operational level, the demonstrated ability to generate stealth sorties from a survivable sea base strengthens China’s capacity to impose localized air superiority at the opening stages of a high-intensity conflict, potentially delaying or degrading adversary intervention by forcing opposing forces to operate at extended ranges under persistent surveillance and missile threat.

Equally significant is the signalling effect directed at both allies and adversaries, as the routine publicisation of carrier-based fifth-generation flight operations normalises the presence of Chinese stealth airpower at sea, incrementally reshaping regional threat perceptions and narrowing the psychological and operational gap between the PLAN and the world’s most advanced naval aviation forces.

FUJIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER: CHINA’S ELECTROMAGNETIC LEAP INTO BLUE-WATER POWER PROJECTION

The Fujian aircraft carrier, designated CV-18 and commissioned in late 2025 following its June 2022 launch, represents a decisive break from legacy Soviet-derived carrier design philosophy, as its flat-deck configuration and triple electromagnetic catapult layout enable operational concepts previously inaccessible to the PLAN’s carrier force.

At approximately 80,000 tonnes displacement, the Fujian approaches the lower threshold of U.S. supercarrier mass while leveraging a conventional power architecture optimised to sustain high-energy electromagnetic launch cycles, allowing sortie generation rates comparable to top-tier global navies during sustained operations.

The integration of EMALS fundamentally alters aircraft launch economics, reducing structural fatigue on airframes, enabling variable launch profiles, and allowing heavier, more fuel-rich aircraft configurations, thereby increasing mission radius and time-on-station across vast maritime expanses.

Sea trials beginning in 2024 and accelerating through 2025 demonstrated the Fujian’s ability to simultaneously operate the J-35 stealth fighter, the J-15T catapult-optimised multirole fighter, and the KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, collectively forming the backbone of a modern carrier air wing.

This triad enables layered situational awareness, air dominance, and strike coordination, with the KJ-600 extending radar horizons, the J-35 conducting low-observable penetration and counter-air missions, and the J-15T providing mass and payload flexibility for maritime strike and fleet defence.

From an industrial perspective, the Fujian’s construction demonstrates China’s mastery of complex naval systems integration, from advanced arrestor gear to deck automation and electromagnetic power management, reducing reliance on foreign technological inputs and accelerating indigenous innovation cycles.

The carrier’s naming, drawn from a province facing Taiwan, is itself a strategic signal embedded within naval nomenclature, reinforcing the platform’s centrality to scenarios involving Taiwan Strait contingencies and broader Western Pacific force projection.

Although no official programme cost has been disclosed by Chinese authorities, comparative analysis suggests a capital investment measured in tens of billions of US dollars, equivalent to several hundred billion Malaysian ringgit at current exchange rates, underscoring the scale of resources Beijing is willing to commit to carrier-centric naval dominance.

The Fujian’s electromagnetic architecture also enables future integration of heavier fixed-wing platforms and next-generation unmanned combat aerial vehicles, positioning the carrier as a scalable launch node for manned–unmanned teaming concepts that will increasingly define high-intensity naval warfare in the Western Pacific.

Strategically, the carrier’s ability to sustain high-tempo, long-range air operations from a survivable sea base complicates adversary targeting cycles, dilutes reliance on vulnerable forward airfields, and strengthens Beijing’s capacity to impose sea control or sea denial across contested maritime chokepoints central to Indo-Pacific power competition.

J-35 STEALTH FIGHTER: FROM PROTOTYPE TO OPERATIONAL CARRIER STRIKE ASSET

The J-35 stealth fighter, developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as the navalised evolution of the FC-31 programme first revealed in 2014, represents China’s entry into the exclusive category of fifth-generation carrier-borne combat aircraft optimised for high-end maritime conflict.

Designed with low-observable shaping, internal weapons bays, and advanced sensor fusion, the J-35 is structurally configured to operate within dense anti-access environments, prioritising survivability, information dominance, and first-look-first-shoot engagement paradigms over brute payload mass.

Carrier-specific modifications, including reinforced landing gear, folding wings, corrosion-resistant materials, and an arrestor hook optimised for high-energy recoveries, reflect extensive design iteration informed by both land-based testing and progressive maritime integration.

By January 2026, the emergence of green-primed, unpainted J-35 airframes confirmed the transition from prototype validation to batch production, a phase shift further reinforced by AVIC’s statement that “a J-35 conducted its maiden flight of the new year,” signalling manufacturing cadence acceleration.

Powering the aircraft are twin WS-19 engines, replacing earlier reliance on Russian RD-93 derivatives, with incremental thrust improvements enabling a combat radius exceeding 1,200 kilometres and providing sufficient power margins for catapult launch under maximum take-off weight conditions.

Internally, the J-35 is assessed to carry advanced air-to-air missiles such as the PL-15, alongside precision-guided munitions configured for maritime strike, enabling the aircraft to operate as both air dominance platform and precision strike asset within a carrier task group.

In comparative terms, while the J-35 may currently trail the U.S. F-35C in certain engine and software maturity metrics, its integration into an EMALS-equipped carrier from the outset offers operational efficiencies that offset individual subsystem disparities.

As production scales toward an estimated 20–30 aircraft annually, the J-35’s role will expand from capability demonstrator to central pillar of China’s carrier strike doctrine, shaping the PLAN’s ability to contest airspace across the Western Pacific.

Beyond its immediate kinetic role, the J-35 is optimised as a sensor and data-fusion node within the carrier strike group, leveraging secure datalinks to cue surface combatants, airborne early warning assets, and land-based missile forces, thereby amplifying the lethality of the wider naval combat system rather than operating as a standalone shooter.

Over the long term, the J-35’s maturation path is expected to incorporate software-defined upgrades, artificial intelligence-assisted decision aids, and deeper integration with unmanned wingmen, enabling the platform to remain operationally relevant against evolving fifth- and sixth-generation threats while anchoring the PLAN’s transition toward network-centric, distributed maritime airpower.

EMALS AND CARRIER AVIATION: ELECTROMAGNETIC POWER AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER

At the technological core of the Fujian’s operational breakthrough lies its electromagnetic aircraft launch system, a linear induction motor architecture that replaces steam catapults with precise, software-controlled electromagnetic acceleration profiles.

Developed domestically to overcome early reliability challenges encountered by foreign counterparts, China’s EMALS variant demonstrates stable power delivery, thermal resilience, and adaptability to a wide range of aircraft weights, as evidenced by successive J-35, J-15T, and KJ-600 launches during sea trials.

The footage released in January 2026 visually confirms smooth, vibration-minimal launches, suggesting that the system has matured beyond experimental status into routine operational use under realistic maritime conditions.

For stealth aircraft like the J-35, EMALS compatibility is particularly critical, as it allows preservation of low-observable coatings and structural integrity while enabling launch profiles tailored to mission-specific fuel and payload configurations.

Operationally, EMALS enhances sortie generation rates, reduces deck cycle times, and enables sustained high-tempo operations essential for maintaining air superiority during prolonged contingencies.

When combined with advanced arrestor gear, the system supports rapid recovery and relaunch cycles, allowing the carrier air wing to function as a continuous combat system rather than a sequence of discrete launch events.

In strategic comparison, the PLAN’s demonstrated EMALS functionality places it alongside the most advanced carrier navies globally, narrowing a technological gap that historically constrained China’s naval aviation ambitions.

The integration of electromagnetic launch systems with future unmanned platforms further suggests a trajectory toward mixed manned-unmanned carrier air wings, extending surveillance reach and strike depth without proportionally increasing risk to personnel.

STRATEGIC SHOCKWAVES ACROSS THE INDO-PACIFIC SECURITY ARCHITECTURE

The operationalisation of a fifth-generation stealth fighter from an EMALS-equipped Chinese carrier directly reshapes the strategic calculus underpinning Indo-Pacific security planning, particularly in scenarios involving Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Western Pacific sea lines of communication.

With a combat radius exceeding 1,200 kilometres, the J-35 operating from the Fujian can project airpower across the entire Spratly archipelago, compressing response timelines for regional actors and complicating freedom of navigation operations conducted by external powers.

This capability amplifies China’s anti-access and area-denial architecture by extending its air dominance envelope seaward, integrating carrier aviation into a broader network of land-based missiles, sensors, and maritime platforms.

Regional responses are already evident, with Japan accelerating F-35B integration on Izumo-class vessels, India reassessing its carrier aviation roadmap, and Australia recalibrating naval force structure under the AUKUS framework.

Southeast Asian states facing overlapping maritime claims must now account for the presence of carrier-borne stealth aircraft capable of rapid, low-observable intervention, altering crisis management dynamics and escalation thresholds.

The psychological impact of such capability demonstrations should not be underestimated, as visual confirmation of operational maturity reinforces deterrence credibility and shapes adversary perception even in the absence of direct confrontation.

Economically, the technologies underpinning EMALS and advanced naval aviation generate spillover benefits across civilian sectors, reinforcing China’s industrial base and sustaining long-term military modernisation cycles.

As Beijing moves toward its stated objective of a “world-class navy” by mid-century, the Fujian and J-35 combination signals not aspiration, but arrival, compelling a reassessment of balance-of-power assumptions across the Indo-Pacific.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA