Fujian-new high tech aircraft carrier of China

In news-China has recently unveiled its first indigenous aircraft carrier, the new-generation Fujian.

About Fujian-

The Fujian has been named after China’s eastern coastal province which lies across from Taiwan.
It is touted to be the most-advanced aircraft carrier so far.
With the launch of the Fujian, China now has the most number of aircraft carriers after the U.S.
The Fujian joins two other carriers currently operated by China — Shandong (Type 001), commissioned in 2019, and the Liaoning (Type 002), bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998.
Fujian was completely designed and built domestically.

It was built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited.
It’s displacement is 80,000 tonnes, much more than the existing Chinese carriers, and comparable to U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
The Type 003 carrier(Fujian) is also significantly more technologically advanced than its predecessors Shandong and Liaoning.
It is fitted with the latest launch technology — the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), first developed by the U.S. Navy.
It also has a straight flat-top flight deck for take-offs and landings; The two existing vessels use a ski jump-style ramp.
The Fujian is a part of the military modernisation plan of President Xi Jinping .
The Chinese President has vowed to build a modern force that can rival the U.S. military by 2027 and become a “blue water” Navy, one that operates globally .

What is EMALS?

An aircraft onboard a carrier needs extra help to get airborne since the length of the runway on deck is insufficient to achieve the speed needed for takeoff.
One of the ways to provide this extra push is by the use of catapults.
Catapult Assisted Take-off But Arrested Recovery or (CATOBAR) is one such system. In this, an aircraft takes off from a completely flat deck with the help of catapults.
Once the catapult is released, the aircraft attached to the catapult moves forward with great speed in a short time, which helps it to gain the speed required to take off before it reaches the end of the runway.
There are two types of catapult systems — steam-powered, and electromagnetic ones called EMALS.
While the former uses steam pressure to fire catapults, EMALS uses linear induction motors. The electromagnetic force generated is used to launch the aircraft.
Compared to steam catapults, EMALS is more reliable, requires less maintenance, recharges faster , doesn’t take up much space on a carrier and is energy-efficient.
The electromagnetic system can launch a wide variety of aircraft weights and can be used on different platforms due to its flexible architecture.
It also reduces the stress on the aircraft during take-off. The system, however, is expensive.

As of now, USS Gerald R. Ford carriers of the U.S. Navy use the advanced catapult system.

The Type 003 carrier will be able to launch fixed-wing aircraft with heavier payloads and more fuel with the use of EMALS.

EMALS’s usage in India-

In 2017, the U.S. provided India with its EMALS technology, developed by the U.S. defence company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
The state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited in Bengaluru is reportedly working on an EMALS model that could be tested for CATOBAR operations on Indian warships in the near future.
Presently, India’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya works on a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, or STOBAR mechanism with an angular ski-jump.
India’s second aircraft carrier named INS Vikrant, set to be commissioned later this year, will use the CATOBAR system to launch aircraft.