China’s next aircraft carrier: nuclear-power speculation continues

Name: What is known about the Fujian, China’s first home-designed aircraft carrier
Uploaded: 2022-10-08T22:00:15.000Z
Duration: 1 min 29 s
Description: What is known about the Fujian, China’s first home-designed aircraft carrier

A state shipbuilding company has previously said the country must be able to achieve a breakthrough in the technology by 2027

Some analysts believe that a nuclear-propelled carrier is the logical next step for the country’s military development

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The Fujian, which was launched in June, is by far China’s biggest, most modern and most powerful aircraft carrier. Photo: Weibo

Kristin Huang

Published: 6:00am, 9 Oct 2022

China’s fourth aircraft carrier will probably be nuclear-powered, analysts have predicted.

China State Shipbuilding Corporation has previously said that it needs to achieve a breakthrough in nuclear-powered technology by 2027.

But an article in the Wave of South China Sea, a military affairs social media account, said there had still been no official announcement that the shipyards responsible for building carriers have been given the necessary permission, and it was debatable whether China could acquire the technology to build them.

The article also said a diesel-powered vessel would be more suited to China’s development.

01:29

What is known about the Fujian, China’s first home-designed aircraft carrier

Speculation mounted following the launch of the country’s third conventionally powered carrier, the Fujian, that the next one would be nuclear-powered.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x