Images are doing the rounds of what appear to be aircraft tire marks on the flight deck of China’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian. According to analysts, the marks seem to indicate ‘touch-and-go’ landings and do not suggest its advanced catapult system has been tested.
The Fujian recently completed its latest round of sea trials, and the tire marks demonstrate the carrier underwent intensive aircraft takeoff and landings this time. ‘Touch-and-go’ landings involve a plane touching down on the flight deck and immediately taking off again.
Pilots in training commonly practice this maneuver, which also involves circling the plane in a defined pattern and repeating it several times. Practicing this is a vital part of a pilot’s preparation for active duty and is intended to give them skills to safely abort a landing if they run out of space.
The United States Navy requires pilots to perform these emergency landing aborts if they have been away from the carrier for more than 29 days. Pilots are stipulated to carry the exercise within 10 days of their return.
China’s most advanced carrier
Evidence of aircraft tire marks on the Fujian is a sign that is likely nearing deployment readiness, with pilots being prepared for active duty aboard. However, there were no signs that its advanced electromagnetic catapult system had been tested for real.
According to Chinese media, the Fujian returned to its home port on Tuesday after a 11-day sea trial. This comes only months after the carrier concluded its first sea trial in May 2024 and a second in June.
Fujian is China’s third carrier and the first to feature electromagnetic catapults, which allow aircraft to safely take off from its relatively shorter runway than compared to ground-based airfields.
The ship is estimated to be 316 meters long and 76 meters wide, boasting a full load displacement of 80,000 to 85,000 tons. This puts the carrier in a similar class to the United States Navy’s Kitty Hawk supercarriers. Fujian was built by China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and was launched in June 2022.
Nearing battle readiness?
The only other ship with similar advanced catapult system is the United States Ship Gerald R Ford, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a full load displacement of over 100,000 tons. Most other aircraft carriers either make use of ski jumps or steam-powered catapults.
The images are proof that the pilot training was more intense than what occurred during previous voyages. However, not all experts are in agreement about the suggested ‘touch-and-go’ landing training theory. Some, like military analyst Fu Qianshao, believe the tire marks’ position near Fujian‘s arrestor cables could also indicate full landings. Although, Fu observed there was no concrete evidence of it.
“A touch-and-go is the first step towards an arrested landing, and without successful arrested landings, the subsequent electromagnetic catapult launches cannot be fully tested,” Fu told the South China Morning Post.
