Fujian has been rotated to face upstream in preparation for EMCAT dead load trials. Posted by @Captain小潇 on Weibo.
CV-18 Fujian/003 CATOBAR carrier thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Fujian CV and Sichuan LHD photographed together just recently. Posted by @这丫XXX.
I think the cart launch activities are now done.
In a CCTV 7 program on 3rd Feb, a naval officer from NAU said, "Vessel 18 is going to be commissioned very soon". Here's the screenshot.
lcloo
Captain
Comissioned may be yes, but fully operational will take a few years after comissioning. I will say around 4 to 5 years may be needed to achiev FOC after comissioning. Liaoning took 6 years to achieve IOC, and Shandong took 10 months.
Why Shandong was able to achieve IOC in 10 months? IMO the 2 barrack ships #88 and #89 play crucial roles by providing accommodation and training for may be two extra sets of crew. So instead of say, the normal 3 crews in rotation, Liaoning and #88 together may have a total of 4 or 5 crew. The extra 2 or 3 crew were later transferred to Shandong when it was delivered to PLAN thus expedict its IOC process as both ships share same basic desgn.
However, Fujian is a different ship design from Liaoning and Shandong, the extra crew who served and trained on the first 2 ships will have to relearn Fujian's operations.
As for other members who have doubt on AVIC's ability to deliver enough J35 for Fujian, you can rest your case. There is more than enough time for 48-60 J35 to join the navy by 2029-2030.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers typically take several years to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and Full Operational Capability (FOC). After commissioning, it usually takes around 2-3 years for a Nimitz-class carrier to reach IOC. This period involves extensive testing, crew training, and system integration to ensure the carrier can perform its intended missions effectively.
Achieving FOC can take additional time, often several more years, as it involves further training, integration of all systems, and ensuring the carrier can perform all its intended missions effectively.
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