According to Chinese state media, all three of China’s aircraft carriers could soon field the J-35 stealth fighter. At present, only the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) most advanced carrier, the Fujian, can do so.

According to reports, China’s other carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, could be upgraded to handle the J-35 too. If true, this would significantly bolster China’s naval force projection capabilities.

Speculation around this came when Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said in a social media post on Wednesday. “The Liaoning is training in the western Pacific. Could the J-35 be on board?” CCTV posted.

Both of these older carriers launch aircraft using a ski-jump ramp setup.

Ramping up China’s carriers

These launch aircraft into the air using their own power, meaning they must be light enough to do so. This translates into less fuel and weapons per aircraft, per launch. Heavier aircraft (like early warning aircraft), or more laden ones, often struggle to get airborne using this older technology.

The Fujian, on the other hand, reportedly operates a functional electromagnetic catapult system (EMALS), similar in concept to the newest US carriers. This launches aircraft by accelerating them rapidly using a rail system built into the deck.

This enables much heavier aircraft to get airborne from the flight deck, meaning more fuel and weapons can be launched per aircraft. It also enables a faster launch tempo, and such a system is ideal for China’s stealth-capable J-35 (China’s equivalent of the F-35 Lightning II).

The J-35 is designed to be harder to detect by radar and can perform a long-range strike capability. It has advanced sensors, networked warfare capability, and improved survivability against modern air defenses.

The ability to launch these from all three of its carriers would be a huge boon to the PLAN. However, getting these planes to deploy from older carriers will likely require a significant retrofit of them (or the J-35 itself, of course).

“Even if [CCTV] did not make that implication, I think electromagnetic-launched [jets] could totally use a ski-jump,” Chinese military analyst Fu Qianshao told The South China Morning Post (SCMP). “There is no technical difficulty for electromagnetic-launched fighters to ski-jump off Liaoning and Shandong,” he said.

Increasing the potency of China’s navy

“This means the carrier strike groups’ combat capability has improved significantly, both in terms of battlefield situational awareness and long-range attack capabilities,” Fu explained.

There are also reportedly tantalizing satellite images that could hint that Shandong is undergoing possible upgrades. Jane’s Defence Weekly reports that US firm Vantor released images of construction work being undertaken on her deck.

“The stern arresting gear is designed to allow aircraft to enter a safe taxiing or stationary position within a short distance during landing, so modifications to this device may aim to increase the arresting gear’s reliability,” a PLA instructor, Song Zhongping, explained to SCMP.

“The bow brake wheel chocks are designed to allow aircraft to obtain maximum thrust before take-off; modifications to this device may be to adjust the thrust and safety of catapult-launched aircraft,” he added.