After inducting the Type-003 Fujian aircraft carrier with the revolutionary EMALS (Electromagnetic Launch System), China appears to be steadily advancing work on its nuclear-powered Type 004 aircraft carrier.
The National Institute for Basic Policy Research (NIPPR), a Japanese think tank, recently analysed satellite imagery of the Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning Province, where the construction of the Type 004, believed to be China’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is purportedly taking place. The findings of the think tank analysis were published by the Japanese publication, Sankei Shimbun.
The analysis of satellite imagery revealed structural characteristics consistent with reactor containment vessels. A NIPPR report compared these features to those observed at US shipyards, such as Newport News Shipbuilding, which builds nuclear carriers, noting similarities that suggest nuclear propulsion.
The report emphasised that such structures were absent during the construction of the other three conventionally-powered Chinese carriers, including the Liaoning, the Shandong, and the newly-commissioned Fujian.
“The size and shape of the frames confirmed in the Dalian shipyard images closely resemble those seen on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers under construction in the United States and are believed to be frames for reactor containment vessels,” said Maki Nakagawa, a researcher at NIPPR, suggesting that the resemblance is striking. “The Chinese military could possess an aircraft carrier with capabilities comparable to U.S. carriers by the early 2030s.”
🇨🇳 China may have begun building its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, according to satellite imagery analyzed by Japan’s NIPPR.
Japanese media say construction is underway at Dalian Shipbuilding, where China’s Shandong carrier was built. pic.twitter.com/jtkYTSDgFH
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 16, 2025
Separately, images posted by military watchers also purportedly highlighted the progress in the construction of a mammoth ship. A pixelated image of the Dalian Shipyard, where China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, Shandong, was assembled, showed what appeared to be a very large naval hull linked to China’s fourth aircraft carrier.
In fact, satellite images and photos of the shipyard published in the past year have repeatedly pointed towards the development of a nuclear-powered carrier.
In March this year, satellite images appeared showing work on China’s fourth aircraft carrier at the Dalian shipyard. At the time, the images suggested that the aircraft carrier under construction at the Dalian shipyard would allow fighter jets to be launched from four parts of the flight deck.
The hull section was first spotted in satellite images from September 2025, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in October 2025.
More progress was recorded in November 2025, when satellite images showed a reactor containment structure, which was believed to indicate its propulsion system.
“Broadly similar appearance to USN CVN reactor shielding configurations within their hulls. Physics works the same and all that,” said Rick Joe, a popular PLA analyst, along with photos of the shipyard that first appeared on the Chinese Internet.
Earlier, the Japanese Defense Ministry claimed that “there are indications that a plan to construct a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier exists.” Meanwhile, the US Pentagon has hinted at Chinese plans to develop a next-generation carrier.
It must be noted that although evidence for nuclear propulsion is “strong” and “compelling,” it’s not officially confirmed by China, which typically maintains secrecy on military projects.
The Japanese think tank report further claims that the Chinese naval base in Qingdao, Shandong Province, which presently hosts the Liaoning aircraft carrier, is expanding its infrastructure.
The analysis states that the naval facility is undergoing construction, including the expansion of piers and the development of demagnetization facilities to reduce a ship’s magnetic signature. Additionally, a new naval airstrip has been built nearby, complete with hangars for fighter aircraft and carrier landing training facilities.
The report states that these developments are likely preparations for the deployment of a fourth aircraft carrier.
It is pertinent to note that Chinese carrier operations through the East China Sea could expand from the so-called first island chain (stretching from Japanese Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, and reaching Borneo) to the second island chain (stretches through the Mariana Islands, Palau, and Guam) in the western Pacific if Qingdao becomes its home port—posing a direct security threat to the United States.
China’s Navy Challenges The US?
Aircraft carriers are symbols of a country’s military might and its capability to project power far beyond its borders.
China acquired its first carrier from Ukraine, which was followed by the development of its second carrier, Shandong. Once it had achieved local development of the mammoth ship, it took a massive leap.
It constructed the Fujian, the world’s second aircraft carrier to feature the highly complex electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), second only to the US Gerald Ford-class ships. The revolutionary EMALS technology enables the PLAN to launch heavier, larger fixed-wing aircraft, with more fuel and weapons loads.
However, to challenge the US for global dominance, it is now developing the Type 004 nuclear-powered carrier.
Once inducted, the Type 004 will catapult China into the elite club of countries that operate nuclear-powered flattops, with France and the US the only other states to possess the capability.
But more importantly, it will help the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) significantly reduce the technological gap with its primary rival, the US Navy.
Notably, nuclear propulsion will provide Chinese carriers with an unlimited range while assisting in meeting the power generation needs of mission systems and ever-improving sensors.
The compact, energy-dense design of a nuclear propulsion plant eliminates the need for massive fuel tanks required in conventional systems, while also freeing up space otherwise dedicated to combustion air intakes and exhaust uptake trunks. This reallocated volume significantly expands storage for critical combat consumables—such as aviation fuel, munitions, and provisions—enhancing the carrier’s operational endurance and dramatically reducing reliance on frequent underway replenishment.
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs) can transit to the scene at sustained high speed (without the logistics support that would be needed for a fossil-fueled aircraft carrier) and arrive fully ready to launch the formidable firepower of the air wing. This is a significant improvement over conventional carriers that typically refuel every few days at high speed or every 2–3 weeks at cruising speed, forcing frequent logistics stops or underway replenishment.
Interestingly, the structure seen in satellite images is broadly similar to that found on US nuclear-powered super carriers. The design, too, bears an uncanny resemblance to the USS Gerald R. Ford.
It has been touted as a next-generation vessel that will allow fighter jets to be launched from four points of the flight deck. The US Navy’s 11 supercarriers can launch aircraft from four places. So far, the three Chinese aircraft carriers can launch jets only from three parts – the front, center, and deck.
Like the Fujian, the Type 004 will potentially be equipped with an advanced EMALS.
The Type 004’s air wing would probably feature the J-35 stealth fighter in addition to the previously mentioned KJ-600. It will be bolstered by advances in the J-15 multirole fighter, such as an electronic warfare variant. Along with helicopters, the carrier is also expected to launch a variety of drones, including navalized GJ-11 uncrewed combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs).
The PLA Navy is already the world’s largest navy, with more than 370 ships and submarines. The country also boasts powerful shipbuilding capabilities: China’s shipyards build hundreds of vessels each year, whereas the US builds five or fewer, according to a 2023 US congressional report.
The addition of a fourth nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would place China far ahead of all its regional rivals and better equip it to take on the United States.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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