CCTV has publicly announced that China's next aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered. At the same time, CCTV's explanation of the aircraft carrier's codename clarifies a key understanding: 001, 002, and 003 are not simply sequential numbers, but refer to different technical platforms. Among them, the 003 model, as a mature and complete technical platform, will not only have the Fujian ship, but also will be mass-produced in the future.
This also means that China's aircraft carriers will follow a "052D+055" high-low configuration model, with the 003-type aircraft carrier and the 004-type nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The 004-type nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, according to CCTV, will be "larger, faster, and smarter."
It is certain that with the support of the medium-voltage direct current integrated power system, we will optimize the nuclear power system to avoid the defects of the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
The reactors on the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are very large and complex, with more than 30 types of pipe sizes, over 1,200 valves, and more than 20 main pumps. When the aircraft carrier is operating, the reactor requires over 60 observation points, so the reactor department needs a large number of personnel.
Because the Ford-class aircraft carriers adopted a large number of new technologies, they have frequent failures. The A1B reactor on the Ford-class aircraft carriers reduced the number of valves, pipes, and main pumps by nearly 50%. Its steam generation system uses fewer than 200 valves and only eight types of pipe sizes. These improvements not only simplify the manufacturing of the reactor but also reduce maintenance workload and personnel requirements, and make the system more compact and occupy less space.
It sounds wonderful, but unfortunately, in actual application, the failure rate is higher. In addition, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are constrained by maintenance and repair issues, with a significantly different maintenance cycle compared to conventional carriers. The time spent in port for repairs is longer, and during the entire life of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one-third of the time is spent in dry dock, while for a conventional carrier it is only one-fourth. Especially, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers require a three-year mid-life refueling overhaul.
In short, around the world, there is no strictly technically mature nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. If China develops a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, it must solve these problems and avoid repeating the U.S. mistakes.
Additionally, it can be foreseen that the radar system on the 004 aircraft carrier will be upgraded again. In terms of the number and integration of radar arrays, the 004 aircraft carrier is likely to adopt a new type of phased array radar panel with a larger number and larger aperture, forming a 360-degree, ultra-fine detection airspace. Through more advanced RF integration technology, more functions such as electronic warfare and satellite communication will be integrated into a unified radar aperture, achieving a true "integrated mast."
Thus, the 004-type nuclear-powered aircraft carrier can even become an electronic warfare warship, using wide-area electronic suppression and interference to disable enemy radar and communication links, paralyze the opponent's perception system, build an electromagnetic protection barrier for the formation, and become a core perception hub for integrated offense and defense in future naval battles.
Of course, regarding the carrier-based aircraft, China's carrier-based aircraft will pursue versatility. You can see that our J-35 can take off and land on the Shandong and Liaoning ships, which not only greatly enhances the combat capability of the two ski-jump carriers, but also provides more landing platforms for their carrier-based aircraft in case of damage to the carrier during wartime. The aircraft on board can still operate normally on other carriers, thus preserving combat forces as much as possible and maximizing combat effectiveness.
In fact, we already have the most advanced and powerful carrier-based aircraft fleet in the world, including the J-35 medium stealth carrier-based fighter; J-15T heavy conventional carrier-based fighter; J-15D "Roaring Shark" electronic warfare aircraft; KJ-600 carrier-based early warning aircraft; Zhi-20 carrier-based helicopter, and China's unique large stealth unmanned fighter.
As for the 003-type conventional power electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, we will definitely summarize the shortcomings of the first ship, Fujian, and re-optimize and strengthen it. With the support of the total segment construction method, we can even compress the time from construction to commissioning of the 003-type aircraft carrier to five years.
The total segment construction technique is a major innovation in modern shipbuilding technology, completely overturning the traditional tower-style construction method that stacked layer by layer around the central keel. This technique divides the entire aircraft carrier into multiple independent ship structure modules called "total segments," allowing various components to be directly transported to the final drydock for on-site assembly. Instead, they are first delivered to specialized workshops in different locations, where they are precisely assembled in a controlled environment. These completed total segments are then transported to the final assembly area for efficient and precise overall assembly. From the perspective of production organization, the total segment construction method is essentially a "decentralized" industrial collaboration revolution, moving a large number of processes to professional factories upstream in the supply chain, greatly alleviating the resource bottleneck at the final assembly drydock, significantly improving the utilization efficiency of the shipyard, and accelerating the overall construction rhythm.
This technological innovation has already been proven by precedent: when building the 40,000-ton 075-type amphibious assault ship, China was able to control the hull assembly cycle within six months. Based on this mature experience, the mass production process of the 003-type aircraft carrier will have unprecedented speed advantages, thus quickly forming a significant aircraft carrier fleet in the foreseeable future.
From the strategic function perspective, the 004-type nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will focus on global cruising and strategic deterrence, relying on its almost unlimited range and large aircraft capacity to carry out long-range force projection missions. While the 003-type will serve as the backbone, taking on regional control, long-range escort, and practical deployment tasks.
Regarding the naval battle mode of the aircraft carrier group, China has already developed a global systematized combat model. Our YJ-19 hypersonic missile can be carried by any warship.
That's right, the YJ-19 has a diameter of about 0.53 meters. It not only can be carried by the main warships such as the 055 destroyers and 052D destroyers, but also can be used for the 093, 093A, 039, 039A/B/C submarines' 533mm torpedo tubes. Even the 054B can be equipped with it.
When the 054B, 093B, 052D, 055, and Fujian ship form an aircraft carrier battle group, it means that the modern naval warfare model built by the U.S. has been overturned.
Imagine, even a frigate like the 054B has the capability to destroy an aircraft carrier on its own, the strike density and penetration capability of the entire fleet will be unprecedented.
Under the saturation attack of hypersonic missiles in multiple directions and batches, the existing air defense system cannot effectively intercept, and the survival capability of the U.S. aircraft carrier will face great challenges. This leap in asymmetric combat capability not only changes the balance of regional maritime forces but also redefines the rules of future naval warfare.
In short, China's aircraft carrier group continues the traditional aircraft carrier's ability to deliver carrier-based aircraft, while integrating the long-range precision strike advantage of hypersonic missiles, forming a composite attack model of aerial strikes and missile penetration. This "carrier-based aircraft + hypersonic missile" coordinated combat system is a "downward strike" compared to the U.S. aircraft carrier fleet, which still relies mainly on carrier-based aircraft as its core combat force.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570301609188540964/
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