China gets its third aircraft carrier-

• China recently launched its biggest and most modern aircraft carrier, marking a major military advance for the Asian superpower.
• The announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and the United States over Beijing’s sabre-rattling towards Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province to be seized by force if necessary.
• China’s carrier development programme is part of a massive overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army under President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to build a “fully modern” force to rival the U.S. military by 2027.

Carrier Fujian

• The new carrier, named Fujian, is the “first catapult aircraft carrier wholly designed and built by China”.
• It has significantly more advanced technology than China’s two other carriers, including electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft off its deck.
• The other carriers use a ski-jump-style ramp for takeoffs.
• And with a displacement of more than 80,000 tonnes, it is comparable in size to the supercarriers of the United States Navy.

Prelims Take Away

• China’s Major military Ports
• China’s Aircraft carriers
• India’s Aircraft Carriers
• Carrier Fujian