On June 17, China launched its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian. The 80,000 ton-class heavy vessel is also the country s second domestically developed carrier and the first one in China equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices, greatly narrowing the technological gap with its US counterparts. The Chinese People s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy had no aircraft carrier 10 years ago, and the launch of the Fujian reflects just how fast China s aircraft carrier program has developed and the big strides made by the PLA Navy.