China Unveils Carrier Power But Global Reach Remains Elusive

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Kevin Kusumoto states in a February 2025 article for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) that China's J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter represents a leap in stealth, electronic warfare, and multi-domain capabilities. He explains that the J-35A, designed for all-domain operations, employs advanced stealth and networked systems to strike enemy aircraft, cruise missiles, and air defenses while maintaining“one-way transparency” against prior-generation threats.

He adds that its modular design supports carrier-based variants intended for deployment aboard the Type 003 Fujian. Although some observers compare it to the F-35, Kusumoto argues that the J-35A reflects China's tactical priorities, citing its unique aerodynamic structure, bomb bay configuration and engine layout.

Writing in November 2024 for The War Zone (TWZ), Thomas Newdick describes the J-15T as a substantial upgrade to the PLAN's carrier aviation. He reports that the aircraft incorporates domestically produced WS-10 engines and is a catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR)-compatible for operations aboard Chinese carriers, including the Fujian.

He notes that its reinforced landing gear and integration with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) allow for heavier payloads and higher sortie rates. Newdick also highlights a revised radome housing an active electronically scanned array radar compatible with PL-10 and PL-15 missiles, along with cockpit enhancements that improve pilot situational awareness. He states that these upgrades, combined with domestic engine production and broad compatibility, establish the J-15T as a multirole naval fighter.

Jack Burnham adds in a November 2024 article for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) that, alongside the J-20, the J-35A enables China to field two stealth fighter types – a capability previously exclusive to the US. He further notes that an upgraded carrier-based J-15, likely featuring extended range and improved armaments, demonstrates China's ability to refine existing platforms to enhance force projection.

At the operational level, Daniel Rice explains in a July 2024 report for the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) that Chinese state media emphasizes“split wave” and“continuous” air operation patterns, allowing sustained presence or saturation attacks to support amphibious assaults and control contested airspace.

He says China could employ its carrier battle groups (CVBGs) to project power well beyond its coastline by organizing layered maritime defense zones. These CVBGs, he notes, are structured into inner, middle, and outer defense layers extending up to 400 kilometers from the carrier and integrate submarines, surface combatants, and carrier-based aircraft to defend the formation and strike targets.

Keitaro Ushirogata, in his book Global Maritime Strategy 1980-2023, frames China's aircraft carriers as strategic tools in the PLAN's transition from coastal defense to blue-water operations. He notes that China's carriers are designed to support operations in the Western Pacific and beyond, enabling extended-range air operations, sea control, and deterrence missions far from the Chinese mainland.

Ushirogata underscores that these vessels are intended not merely as status symbols but as instruments to enhance China's regional influence, protect overseas interests, and potentially challenge US naval dominance in Asia.