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China Building a Massive Aircraft Carrier to Counter U.S. Warship Dominance

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China Building a Massive Aircraft Carrier to Counter U.S. Warship Dominance

Beijing is developing a hefty nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that could rival the Nimitz and Ford-class warships.

As of 2024, Beijing possesses the largest maritime fighting force across the globe. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operates more warships at sea than the United States and is expected to field a fleet of roughly 400 vessels by next year. However, when it comes to aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy is far ahead. With eleven nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service, the United States is able to project power at sea far more easily than China, which possesses three of these “floating airports.” Since carriers remain the centerpiece of America’s naval prowess, retaining an edge in this arena is paramount for Washington. But recent satellite imagery indicates that Beijing is developing a hefty nuclear-powered carrier that could rival the American Nimitz and Ford-class warships.

According to NBC News, photographs of new carriers positioned in China’s Dalian shipbuilding facility in the country’s northeast suggest the new vessel will be capable of launching sorties from four parts of its flight deck. Being able to launch the fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 along with Beijing’s other fighter platforms and rotary-wing aircraft is certainly an improvement compared to older Chinese carriers. Currently, only America’s USS Gerald R. Ford-class possesses four catapults, which would make the Chinese carrier more comparable to the leading aircraft carrier across the globe. While Beijing has not confirmed its intentions to field a new supercarrier, the further expansion and advancement of its naval capabilities have been prioritized by the Xi Jinping government for years.
An overview of China’s existing aircraft carriers

The latest aircraft carrier to be introduced to service by PLAN is the Fujian. This Type 003-class warship was designed by the Jiangnan Shipyard. According to the U.S. Office for Naval Intelligence, experts estimate that the carrier measures much larger in length than Beijing’s other carriers. The Liaoning and Shandong (designated as the Type 001/Type 002 respectively) are former Russian Kuznetsov-class vessels purchased by China over ten years ago. Liaoning was launched in 2012, becoming the first carrier commissioned into PLAN’s surface fleet. Shandong followed closely behind, commissioning in 2017 and representing what Beijing refers to as its first “domestically-produced” aircraft carrier.

What about a drone carrier?

Last year, satellite images depicting a new warship in a shipyard on China’s Yangtze River circulated widely. According to AP News, “The reactor prototype at Leshan is the first solid evidence that China is, in fact, developing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Operating a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is an exclusive club, one that China looks set to join.” Some analysts believe this warship could be under development as a drone carrier, considering the warship’s smaller size and its incorporation of unusual attributes like a low-set flight deck. If fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft are not designed to launch from the carrier, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could serve as an alternative. China’s potential investment in a drone carrier follows these aerial weapons’ surge across the globe.

NATIONAL INTEREST

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