China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is expected to possess the ability to carry out “deck load strikes” — a high-intensity combat tactic that could deliver a powerful first-mover advantage in future naval warfare, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
In a detailed report aired on Saturday, CCTV highlighted the Fujian’s ability to conduct these coordinated mass aircraft launches for the first time, calling it a “historic leap” in the development of China’s naval strike capabilities.
A deck load strike refers to the rapid launch of a large number of aircraft in a short window, enabling a concentrated, high-impact strike that can overwhelm enemy defenses. The tactic, also known as an “Alpha strike,” was used to devastating effect by the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. The U.S. employed these strikes from multiple carriers — sometimes in conjunction with Air Force units — to achieve tactical surprise and to penetrate dense air defenses in cities like Hanoi and Haiphong.
According to the CCTV report, the Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult launch system — a technology similar to that used by the U.S. Navy’s latest Gerald R. Ford-class carriers — is a key enabler of this capability. It represents a sharp departure from the ski-jump launch ramps used on China’s two earlier carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong.
“The electromagnetic launch system of the Fujian can greatly improve the efficiency of carrier-based aircraft deployment, laying the foundation for deck load strikes,” CCTV said.
The report further stated that China’s first domestically designed aircraft carrier has been making “steady progress” in sea trials since its maiden test in May last year and is now entering the “critical phase of combat capability development.”
Military analyst Cao Weidong, quoted by CCTV, said that the deck load strike capability would test the full spectrum of the carrier’s integrated systems — including command and control, refueling, rearming, and launch sequencing.
“If the Fujian performs well in these drills, the carrier’s full combat potential could be realized,” Cao said. “Sortieing as many aircraft as possible in the first wave to destroy, suppress and deter enemy targets enables the carrier to secure air superiority, establish maritime dominance, or support amphibious landing operations.”
Such rapid-launch operations, he added, could provide China with a strategic edge by achieving first detection and first strike, thereby disrupting enemy formations and command structures early in a conflict.
The Fujian is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2025, joining the Liaoning and Shandong to form a three-carrier fleet under the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). According to the report, this development will “greatly enhance China’s sea escort and defense capabilities.”
While Chinese state media has long speculated on the Fujian’s technological advantages, Saturday’s CCTV report marks the first official confirmation of its potential to perform deck load strikes — signaling a significant evolution in China’s blue-water naval ambitions.
The South China Morning Post has previously noted that China’s rapid naval expansion — including advances in aircraft carrier design, submarine development, and missile technology — is part of a broader push to project power beyond the First Island Chain and into the western Pacific.
As China accelerates its military modernization, the Fujian may soon serve as a symbol of a new era for the PLAN — one in which Chinese carriers could project force far from home waters with the operational sophistication long dominated by the United States Navy.
