CV-18 Fujian/003 CATOBAR carrier thread

[TK3600]

Although your English translation is accurate, the interpretation is wrong. Transition in 2026 only means that 2026 is part of the transition period, it does not mean that transition will finish in 2026, it can continue well into 2027. It is a process not a point.


Du Wenlong, a frequent guest to CCTV military program.

Not really. It really is FOC in 2026. First sentence is "transition in 2026", not after 2026. Second sentence goes "After full combat capability is achieved in 2026..." confirms FOC in 2026 without ambiguity. FOC is certain to happen before 2027.

If it is CCTV, then there should be little doubt. They only say things that are very certain.

 

[taxiya]

Not really. It really is FOC in 2026. First sentence is "transition in 2026", not after 2026. Second sentence goes "After full combat capability is achieved in 2026..." confirms FOC in 2026 without ambiguity. FOC is certain to happen before 2027.

If it is CCTV, then there should be little doubt. They only say things that are very certain.

I have found the original video from Youtube and here it is.

I can not find anywhere Du Wenlong said "full combat capability is achieved in 2026". So I'd say post #12,215 erronously transcribed the speech.

Here is a transcription that matches what I have heard from the video. Also note that this report is sourced from Beijing Youth News, a traditional paper media operated by Beijing party committee, they are much more professional and accurate in their work than any random netizen.

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军事评论员杜文龙在央视《军情时间到》节目中指出，今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。

......

杜文龙表示，今年福建舰的主要任务有三项。首先是编队训练，将055大驱、052D、054等舰艇以及水下潜艇和补给舰进行组合，形成完整的海上作战编队。其次是出岛链能力或远洋能力，目前福建舰的训练都在沿海地带，下一步可能会深入大洋，在远洋地区进一步考察编队的综合作战指标。最后是双航母战斗群。2025年6月，中国海军辽宁舰、山东舰航母编队首次同时现身西太平洋海域开展训练，重点检验了部队远海防卫和联合作战能力。如果福建舰也纳入其中，对于形成以福建舰为核心的双航母战斗群将会发挥重要作用。三艘航空母舰在不同海域可以对三个主要战略方向形成压倒性优势，提高打击能力和压制能力。

Translation to English
The main task of Fujian in 2026 is to transition from basic combat capability to full capability.
Transition, whether achiving it or not isn't said.

This year, Fujian will conduct three items of the task. First to form full surface battle group with 055, 052D, 054, submarine and supply ship.
To practice forming a full battle group. Not necessarily FOC and again a work to do, not a goal to complete.

So Du Wenlong just listed the work that Fujian is doing in 2026, nothing about what is to be achiveved or when.

We are looking at a chain of mistakes in video/text transcription then passed to different language.

 

[TK3600]

I have found the original video from Youtube and here it is.

I can not find anywhere Du Wenlong said "full combat capability is achieved in 2026". So I'd say post #12,215 erronously transcribed the speech.

Here is a transcription that matches what I have heard from the video. Also note that this report is sourced from Beijing Youth News, a traditional paper media operated by Beijing party committee, they are much more professional and accurate in their work than any random netizen.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

军事评论员杜文龙在央视《军情时间到》节目中指出，今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。

......

杜文龙表示，今年福建舰的主要任务有三项。首先是编队训练，将055大驱、052D、054等舰艇以及水下潜艇和补给舰进行组合，形成完整的海上作战编队。其次是出岛链能力或远洋能力，目前福建舰的训练都在沿海地带，下一步可能会深入大洋，在远洋地区进一步考察编队的综合作战指标。最后是双航母战斗群。2025年6月，中国海军辽宁舰、山东舰航母编队首次同时现身西太平洋海域开展训练，重点检验了部队远海防卫和联合作战能力。如果福建舰也纳入其中，对于形成以福建舰为核心的双航母战斗群将会发挥重要作用。三艘航空母舰在不同海域可以对三个主要战略方向形成压倒性优势，提高打击能力和压制能力。

Translation to English
The main task of Fujian in 2026 is to transition from basic combat capability to full capability. transition, whether achiving it or not isn't said.
This year, Fujian will conduct three items of the task. First to form full surface battle group with 055, 052D, 054, submarine and supply ship.

The only time he used word "full" is of practicing forming a full battle group during 2026. He did not even say that the practice of formation will be completed in 2026, it is only the word to do in 2026.

It is a chain of mistakes in video/text transcription then passed to different language.

Here is where I disagree:

今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。

"The main task of Fujian in 2026 is to transition from basic combat capability to full capability."

You are technically not wrong when you say "transition, whether achiving it or not isn't said."

It is not explicitely said, but in a Chinese connotation the phrase 90% means the achieving part is done in 2026. It is the intention. If it does not, it means the main task is a failure; unexpected delay.

There is something that a good LLM translation cannot provide, that is the native speaking connotation. I feel very strongly that the intention is this year 2026, even if the quoted phrase did not say it 100% with certainty.

 

[taxiya]

Here is where I disagree:

今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。

"The main task of Fujian in 2026 is to transition from basic combat capability to full capability."

You are technically not wrong when you say "transition, whether achiving it or not isn't said."

It is not explicitely said, but in a Chinese connotation the phrase 90% means the achieving part is done in 2026. It is the intention. If it does not, it means the main task is a failure; unexpected delay.

There is something that a good LLM translation cannot provide, that is the native speaking connotation. I feel very strongly that the intention is this year 2026, even if the quoted phrase did not say it 100% with certainty.

Now we are getting to details of language. Everyone can have different interpretation even for native speakers. But I must point out that even that line in the paper was NOT exactly what Du said. I will leave the intrepretation part to you.

今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。<< from the paper
This order of words is saying "transition to FOC" as this year's task. 过渡到 together acts as a verb means the goal is to be reached.

今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力到完全形成战斗力去过渡。<< What I heard from the video
This order of words is saying "to work on transition". Here 到 between two phrases (subjects) is a preposition that makes the phrases before and after as a whole subject. 去过度 is the verb describing the action. Most importantly 去 means it is ongoing action, equivalent to "going to" in English.

I don't know your background, but my Chiense literacy education in elementary school (语文课) does not allow me to interpret it in any other way.

I am aware that people is less strict in grammar in casual speech, especially for Chinese who is not native madarin speakers. But I know Du is from Beijing as I am, we basically went through the same grammar training in shcool. So I am confident in the meaning of his speech so long as he wasn't too relaxed in his grammar.

BTW, I have no idea why did you mention LLM. Neither the paper nor I involved machine to transcribe the speech. I am a native standard mandarin speaker who doesn't know how to speak any other dialect, not just any Chinese speaker.

 

[Enger12]

I have found the original video from Youtube and here it is.

I can not find anywhere Du Wenlong said "full combat capability is achieved in 2026". So I'd say post #12,215 erronously transcribed the speech.

Here is a transcription that matches what I have heard from the video. Also note that this report is sourced from Beijing Youth News, a traditional paper media operated by Beijing party committee, they are much more professional and accurate in their work than any random netizen.

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军事评论员杜文龙在央视《军情时间到》节目中指出，今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力过渡到完全形成战斗力。

......

杜文龙表示，今年福建舰的主要任务有三项。首先是编队训练，将055大驱、052D、054等舰艇以及水下潜艇和补给舰进行组合，形成完整的海上作战编队。其次是出岛链能力或远洋能力，目前福建舰的训练都在沿海地带，下一步可能会深入大洋，在远洋地区进一步考察编队的综合作战指标。最后是双航母战斗群。2025年6月，中国海军辽宁舰、山东舰航母编队首次同时现身西太平洋海域开展训练，重点检验了部队远海防卫和联合作战能力。如果福建舰也纳入其中，对于形成以福建舰为核心的双航母战斗群将会发挥重要作用。三艘航空母舰在不同海域可以对三个主要战略方向形成压倒性优势，提高打击能力和压制能力。

Translation to English
The main task of Fujian in 2026 is to transition from basic combat capability to full capability.
Transition, whether achiving it or not isn't said.

This year, Fujian will conduct three items of the task. First to form full surface battle group with 055, 052D, 054, submarine and supply ship.
To practice forming a full battle group. Not necessarily FOC and again a work to do, not a goal to complete.

So Du Wenlong just listed the work that Fujian is doing in 2026, nothing about what is to be achiveved or when.

We are looking at a chain of mistakes in video/text transcription then passed to different language.

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Here is the CCTV link contains quote “2026年完全战斗力形成后，福建舰将成为维护国家主权、安全、发展利益，维护地区和平稳定的战略铁拳与海上中坚。”

“Once full combat capability is achieved in 2026, the Fujian will become a strategic fist and a mainstay at sea for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as maintaining regional peace and stability."

please take back the word I “erronously transcribed the speech.”

 

[taxiya]

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Here is the CCTV link contains quote “2026年完全战斗力形成后，福建舰将成为维护国家主权、安全、发展利益，维护地区和平稳定的战略铁拳与海上中坚。”

“Once full combat capability is achieved in 2026, the Fujian will become a strategic fist and a mainstay at sea for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as maintaining regional peace and stability."

That is not what he said in the video. The link that you posted is a missquote of itself.

This is what he said in the video: 今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力到完全形成战斗力去过渡. Listen to the video yourself if you can.

please take back the word I “erronously transcribed the speech.”

I won't.

It is already a waste of our time when everything started from a missquote/miss-interpretation by over-enthusiastic reporter/netizen. Many members have also pointed out the impossibility of "reaching FOC in 2026". Du Wenlong is perfectly competent in standard mandarin and he is a grand colonel and he has no record of exaggeration. Is it more likely that it was just a miss-quote from the begining? Or Du Wenlong did not know what he was saying?

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

Also, is Du Wenlong even known for his reliability and dependability, to begin with? As far as I could recall, his record isn't exactly stellar.

Besides, there doesn't seem to be any visible sort of movements in the Chinese side of PLA-watching circles regarding this piece of information either.

In addition, if I'm not mistaken, sometime ago, we did touch upon the reality/convention where even for state broadcasting media agencies like the CCTV, there are different TV programs that can be classified into different tiers, ranging from "can be taken as is" to "requires a heavy dose of scepticism" (something closer to 听听就好)" with regards to the reliability, dependability and authoritativeness of the information which they put out in those respective programs.

@Blitzo what's your take on this?

 

[siegecrossbow]

Also, is Du Wenlong even known for his reliability and dependability, to begin with? As far as I could recall, his record isn't exactly stellar.

Besides, there doesn't seem to be any visible sort of movements in the Chinese side of PLA-watching circles regarding this piece of information either.

In addition, if I'm not mistaken, sometime ago, we did touch upon the reality/convention where even for state broadcasting media agencies like the CCTV, there are different TV programs that can be classified into different tiers, ranging from "can be taken as is" to "requires a heavy dose of scepticism" (something closer to 听听就好)" with regards to the reliability, dependability and authoritativeness of the information which they put out in those respective programs.

@Blitzo what's your take on this?

There are tiers to CCTV7 programs. Highest tier are interviews with chief designers/engineers. Second tier is interview with actual operators of weapons like pilots and soldiers, commanders. Third tier is ex PLA experts who have served in technical roles. Bottom tier will be “experts” who analyze “conflict of the week” (usually international news), some of whom are renowned members of the strategic foo-you agency back when that was still a thing.

He is bottom tier.

 

[Enger12]

That is not what he said in the video. The link that you posted is a missquote of itself.

This is what he said in the video: 今年福建舰的主要任务是从基本形成战斗力到完全形成战斗力去过渡. Listen to the video yourself if you can.


I won't.

It is already a waste of our time when everything started from a missquote/miss-interpretation by over-enthusiastic reporter/netizen. Many members have also pointed out the impossibility of "reaching FOC in 2026". Du Wenlong is perfectly competent in standard mandarin and he is a grand colonel and he has no record of exaggeration. Is it more likely that it was just a miss-quote from the begining? Or Du Wenlong did not know what he was saying?

You said I “erronously transcribed the speech”, I give you the CCTV source contain the exact word. We are having a civil discussion, You need to take that bold claim back.

 

[lcloo]

Carrier FOC depends not just on the ship but also on aircraft, logistics, and strike group certification.

I believe FOC certification for shore based logistic and strike group certification should not be a problem pre-2027. Certification for aircraft operation (logistic, maintenance, rotations deployment and others.), aircraft combat power projection and full complement of aircraft is a big challenge.

FOC certification for aircraft would be
- Full complement of fighter jets (J35 and J15T), transport and rescue helicopters, KJ600, and may be some UAV/UCAV (GJ11/GJ21?) as well.
- There must be complete availability of logistics and maintenance, parts, special fuel, proficient ground (deck) crew, maintenance and analysis equipment etc.
- Operation protocol and maintenance instruction manual fully written and complete, especially for new aircraft types like J35 and KJ600.

Typical US Nimitz class aircraft carriers took 3-4 years to achieve FOC. And lead ships usually took longer time, Fujian is a lead ship (even if there is only one ship in the class).