【By Observer Net, Mountain Cat】 Recently, a set of pictures of a ship under construction in a dry dock at a Chinese shipyard has attracted attention from foreign media. The American website "The War Zone" reported that China is starting to build the fourth aircraft carrier, and the report cited some online sources, as well as analyzed the visible hull structure in the images, suggesting that it is a "nuclear-powered" aircraft carrier. In addition, the report stated that there are more messages indicating that China may still build "at least one more conventional-powered aircraft carrier".
Photos of a shipyard in the north that have caught the attention of foreign media
These images, which are believed to be of the "Type 004 aircraft carrier", are said to have been taken at a shipyard in the north of China, showing a large ship's hull gradually taking shape in a dry dock. The report claimed that inside the ship under construction, objects similar to the nuclear reactor containment shielding structure appeared, which is usually a key feature of the ship's propulsion system. It is generally considered to be related to "a future installed nuclear reactor". However, it could also be another type of vessel for testing, or a potential test device (such as a large nuclear-powered icebreaker or other special ships that require nuclear power - note by the editor of this article). In addition, although the possibility is low, it cannot be ruled out that this is a completely different device from the previously speculated purpose.
Local magnification of the hull under construction in the dry dock, clearly showing a "box-like" structure inside
The second aircraft carrier of the "Ford" class, CVN-79 "John F. Kennedy", under construction, with two "box-like" structures on the central line of the ship body being the A1B nuclear reactor shielding boxes
The report mentioned some artistic concept drawings published by Chinese shipbuilding companies in 2023, which are considered to be of the "Type 004 aircraft carrier". The overall layout of these artistic paintings is highly similar to that of the US Navy's "Ford" class and France's future PA-NG nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Although the Pentagon did not explicitly mention nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in its latest report on China's military capabilities, it stated that "China's next-generation aircraft carrier" would have "longer range capability", enhancing its ability to conduct air operations beyond China's coastal areas. In addition, it mentioned that China's official authorities had indirectly confirmed that the construction of the fourth aircraft carrier had already begun. On the other hand, the report also claimed that there was evidence showing that China had already built a land-based test reactor for large surface ships.
Artistic paintings cited by the report
The report believes that the shift of China's "fourth aircraft carrier" to nuclear power is significant, meaning that the aircraft carrier will have nearly unlimited range capability and can fully meet the power demands of increasingly advanced sensors and other mission equipment on board. Nuclear-powered supercarriers can also significantly reduce the technological gap between the Chinese Navy and the US Navy in this area and make the Chinese Navy the third navy in the world, after the United States and France, to possess nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The report cited a previous satellite image, believing that the shipyard had already started the construction of the aircraft carrier before May 2024, because a "flight deck segment" was found, with two grooves adjacent but not parallel on the segment possibly being "the slot for the catapult tracks of the angled deck". As is well known, China's first catapult-type aircraft carrier, Fujian, only has one electromagnetic catapult on the angled deck. Therefore, the features of the "new aircraft carrier" are more similar to larger "Nimitz" class and "Ford" class aircraft carriers. In addition, it is also believed that the other parts will use the new fleet of carrier-based aircraft equipped with catapult takeoff currently used on the Fujian.
The object considered as a "flight deck segment" appearing in the satellite image in May 2024
In addition, the report noted some sources claiming that China is simultaneously developing another conventional-powered new aircraft carrier. Some "unverified information" states that in addition to the aforementioned "Type 004 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier", China plans to develop a conventional-powered aircraft carrier at Jiangnan Shipyard, which has just built the Fujian, using an improved design based on the Type 003. The report believes that China's shipbuilding capacity makes it reasonable to develop two different new aircraft carriers at the same time — the conventional aircraft carrier of the Type 003 improvement has a proven design and lower cost and risk, while the more powerful and technologically advanced "Type 004" aircraft carrier comes with relatively higher risks and costs. The report mentioned recent model photos that appeared on the Internet, seemingly related to the aforementioned "Type 003 improvement" aircraft carrier. It is difficult to determine whether there is an official background, but the model painted with the hull number "19" has a bridge structure that is "highly similar" to the land-based simulation experimental facilities photographed in the central region.
Aircraft carrier model circulating on the Internet with unknown sources
Allegedly photographed simulation experimental facilities in the central region
The report mentioned that some current views suggest that for China, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are not a "universal solution" suitable for any mission. Although nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have huge global deployment and long-range advantages, in relatively short and medium ranges, it seems that conventional aircraft carriers can still play a role. Under certain budgets, conventional aircraft carriers can theoretically be built faster and deployed in larger numbers. On the other hand, the supply advantage of nuclear power over conventional power is not absolute, since the carrier aircraft and escort ships themselves still consume a large amount of supplies. In addition, China is also developing other "large-deck" vessels, such as the latest Type 076 amphibious assault ship, which can carry and deploy large drones with catapult takeoff, and can also be used for aerial force projection in the surrounding areas.
In summary, the report believes that the construction of this "possibly nuclear-powered aircraft carrier" and the rumor of building another conventional aircraft carrier highlight China's efforts to build a naval power and the resources invested in achieving its maritime vision. On the other hand, the existing three conventional-powered aircraft carriers still have a considerable gap compared to the US Navy's 11 aircraft carriers, but this gap is "narrowing at an increasingly faster pace".
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572145076077232667/
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