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as a new member of the chinese navy, the fujian ship has been attracting much attention for its carrier-based aircraft and sea trials. according to the latest reports and analysis, the fujian ship only carried the j-15t and kj-600 during this trip, and even the flame shield was not lowered. it may conduct more complex carrier-based aircraft tests, including arrested landing and electromagnetic catapult take-off technologies.

the j-15t is the catapult model of the chinese navy's j-15 carrier-based fighter, designed specifically for the electromagnetic catapult system of the fujian ship. its existence means that the chinese navy's heavy carrier-based fighters will be able to use the fujian ship's advanced catapult system to improve take-off efficiency and combat radius, which has certain asymmetric advantages when competing with us aircraft carriers. the kj-600 is china's first fixed-wing carrier-based early warning aircraft. its deployment will greatly improve the command capability and air early warning of the aircraft carrier formation, which is crucial to improving the combat effectiveness of the entire aircraft carrier battle group. it can be said that the emergence of the kj-600 is a landmark event for china's development of its ocean-going combat capabilities. after the emergence of ship-borne hypersonic anti-ship missiles, the qualitative change in ocean-going situational awareness capabilities is equal to the qualitative change in comprehensive combat effectiveness.

according to current information, both the j-15t and kj-600 are likely to conduct touch-and-go tests during the fujian ship's sea trials. touch-and-go is an important part of the take-off and landing procedures for carrier-based aircraft. it can help pilots become familiar with the landing process on an aircraft carrier, and it is also a practical test of the aircraft carrier's deck facilities and landing system. as to which model will be the first to conduct a touch-and-go test, this has become a hot topic of online controversy.

many people believe that although both the kj-600 and j-15t are brand new carrier-based aircraft, the j-15 has taken off and landed many times on the shandong and liaoning aircraft carriers, so the j-15t should be the first to appear. from the perspective of pilots' experience in landing on aircraft carriers, this is certainly true, but from the perspective of overall technical risks, the kj-600 should be the better choice.

why do you say that? because the kj-600 is a propeller aircraft, its minimum flight speed is much lower than that of the j-15t, and its low-altitude and low-speed performance is much better. it can take off and land on a shorter runway and does not require a very high take-off speed. the kj-600 has greater redundancy during take-off and landing, especially the impact force is relatively small. you can understand it this way: whether it is a catapult take-off, a landing and go-around, or an arrested landing, the technical risks faced by the kj-600 are the smallest among several carrier-based aircraft. according to foreign media reports, several kj-600s have been produced and have undergone high-intensity test flights. it should be a natural thing for it to be the first to complete this test.

for aircraft carriers, the test of carrier-based aircraft take-off and landing is more important than the first sea trial, because it not only tests the effectiveness of the electromagnetic catapult system, landing command and control system, and even the electromagnetic arresting system. of course, for the two new aircraft, the j-15t and kj-600, it is also a big test of the basic take-off and landing performance of carrier-based aircraft.

in addition, the sea trials of the fujian ship are not only tests of carrier-based aircraft, but also comprehensive tests of the aircraft carrier's own power system, electronic system, self-defense system, etc. the purpose of these tests is to ensure that the fujian ship can form a complete combat capability after it is officially put into service and become an important support for the chinese navy's ocean-going combat capability. with the continuous advancement of the fujian ship's sea trials, we have reason to believe that my country's navy's aircraft carrier combat capability will reach a new level.