According to news reports, the Fujian aircraft carrier has officially entered service and has conducted live-force maritime training. Military analysis suggests that the Fujian’s primary mission for 2026 is to transition from initially forming combat capability to fully establishing it.
Formation Training: Currently, the Fujian is operating with an initial formation. It is being combined with Type 055 missile destroyers, Type 052D destroyers, Type 054 frigates, underwater submarines, and supply ships to form a complete maritime combat formation, which is expected to be showcased in the near future.
Blue-Water Capability: The Fujian’s current training is taking place in coastal areas. The next step may involve venturing into the open ocean to further evaluate the formation’s comprehensive combat capabilities in blue-water regions.
Dual-Carrier Formations: The dual-carrier battle groups currently observed consist of the Liaoning and Shandong carriers. Next, a dual-carrier formation centered around the Fujian is highly anticipated. With three carriers operating in different sea areas, they could establish overwhelming advantages in three major strategic directions.
Fujian aircraft carrier
The Fujian (Type 003) is China’s first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, featuring advanced electromagnetic catapults. It was launched in June 2022 from the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and represents a major technological leap for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Named after Fujian Province, it signifies China’s ongoing efforts to modernize its naval capabilities for power projection.
Type 055 missile destroyers
The Type 055 is a class of large, modern guided-missile destroyers (NATO designation *Renhai*-class) developed and built for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Introduced in the late 2010s, it represents a significant leap in Chinese naval power, being one of the world’s most advanced and heavily armed surface combatants. These warships are central to China’s ambition of building a blue-water navy capable of operating in distant waters and providing air defense for carrier strike groups.
Type 052D destroyers
The Type 052D is a class of guided-missile destroyer developed for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China, entering service in 2014. It represents a significant advancement over its predecessor, the Type 052C, featuring improved stealth characteristics, a more versatile vertical launch system for anti-air, anti-ship, and land-attack missiles, and modern radar systems. These destroyers form a key component of China’s modern blue-water navy, serving as escorts for carrier battle groups and as powerful, multi-role surface combatants.
Type 054 frigates
The Type 054 is a class of multi-role frigates developed for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), with the first units entering service in the mid-2000s. They represent a major modernization of China’s surface fleet, designed for anti-submarine and area air defense warfare. The improved Type 054A variant, featuring advanced weaponry like vertical launch systems, has become the backbone of the PLAN’s escort forces and is frequently deployed for international missions.
Liaoning carrier
The Liaoning is China’s first aircraft carrier, originally built as the Soviet Kuznetsov-class carrier Varyag in the 1980s. It was purchased as an incomplete hull from Ukraine in 1998, extensively refitted, and officially commissioned into the People’s Liberation Army Navy in 2012. It primarily serves as a training platform to develop China’s carrier operational expertise and naval aviation capabilities.
Shandong carrier
The “Shandong” (hull number 17) is China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, commissioned in 2019. It is a conventionally powered vessel based on the design of China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, but with significant improvements in size, capacity, and technology. Its construction and entry into service marked a major milestone in the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
