China's J-35 fighter beats F-35C, becomes first stealth jet to be launched from an aircraft carrier using EMALS; Fujian breaks US Navy's monopoly, watch video

China has broken one more tech barrier which till date was the sole domain of the United States of America, and has gone a step further by becoming the first country to launch a stealth fighter aircraft from an aircraft carrier using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in a video posted on September 22, 2025, successfully demonstrated Fujian aircraft carrier launching combat aircraft like Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter and J-15T Feisha or Flying Shark (NATO reporting name: Flanker-X2, Flanker-K) using EMALS.

Videos and photos posted by the Chinese Navy on X show the Fujian using electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoffs and arrested landings for J-35 and J-15T. The Chinese Navy also launched J-15D electronic warfare aircraft and KJ-600 cargo and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) plane from Fujian.

Before the Fujian show, the US Navy was the only force with the capability of operating aircraft carriers equipped with EMALS. US Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford is the first ship of the class which employs EMALS, and the plan is to add five more such aircraft carriers, bringing the total fleet strength to six.


However, USS Gerald R. Ford is yet to launch an F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter using EMALS, making the J-35 the only stealth jet to achieve the feat.


The exact location where the test launches were carried out has not been disclosed but the Fujian was likely to be somewhere in the South China Sea where it was undergoing trials. PLAN spokesperson Senior Captain Leng Guowei had on September 12, 2025, revealed that Fujian had moved through the Taiwan Strait and entered the South China Sea.

China has border disputes with several countries along the South China Sea and regularly sends its warplanes and combat ships in the region. China also maintains that Taiwan is a renegade province which can be acquired through the use of force.

Why is EMALS important in an aircraft carrier?

Aircraft launched from carriers face problems related to weapons payload and fuel capacity. In the more traditional launch systems, fighters are forced to take off with lesser weapons payload and fuel in the tanks.

But EMALS based Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery system (CATOBAR) uses electromagnetic force to launch aircraft from carriers. This ensures aircraft can takeoff with their weapons and fuel at their full operational capacity.


As Fujian moves ahead to gain complete operational clearance, the US dominance in the Pacific Ocean and seas around eastern parts of Asia faces a new challenge. The domestically built Fujian with its catapult-equipped electromagnetic catapult launch and recovery capabilities is a major leap for the Chinese naval ship building industry.

The capability to launch not only fighters like J-15T and fifth-generation stealth jet J-35, but also KJ-600 AEW&C aircraft gives China a massive reach over the seas and oceans.

With Fujian, China now operates three aircraft carriers. The first two - the Liaoning and the Shandong. All the three carriers have conventional steam turbines and diesel generators as their powerplant unlike the US Navy which operates only nuclear-power floating airbases.


The US Navy remains the big bully with 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The force has 10 Nimitz-class carriers and the lead ship of the new Gerald R. Ford-class, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

China is now moving ahead with deploying the Fujian operationally. The ship has a displacement of over 80,000 tonnes and is considerably smaller than Ford-class carriers. The latest American aircraft carrier has a displacement of 100,000 tonnes.