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China’s aircraft carriers
ChinaMilitary

China’s aircraft carrier No 4 will not catch up with US Navy’s nuclear-powered giants, analysts say

  • China’s naval nuclear reactor technology is not advanced enough to support an aircraft carrier, according to observers
  • All of the US Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered

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China’s recently launched third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has a conventional diesel-powered propulsion system. Photo: Weibo
Minnie Chan
China’s next and fourth aircraft carrier is likely to be a conventional diesel-powered vessel similar to the newly launched Fujian, analysts believe.
This means the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warships would still lag behind their 11 active US Navy counterparts, all of which are nuclear-powered.

The conventional choice is likely because China’s naval nuclear reactor technology is not advanced enough to support an aircraft carrier, the analysts explained.

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Chinese military buffs had expected the country’s fourth aircraft carrier to be a nuclear-powered platform on a par with the American navy’s newest USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier.

Their hopes rested on the fact that the Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier, while still diesel-powered, was equipped with the world’s most advanced electromagnetic catapult systems on a par with the USS Ford-class vessels.

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The Fujian, launched on June 17, has a conventional propulsion system not suited to prolonged operation in the high seas, because of the regular refuelling and maintenance involved. By comparison, the diesel-powered USS Kitty Hawk – the last such vessel to serve in the US Navy before being decommissioned in 2009 – could remain in the open seas for more than a month.

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