China's Jiangnan Shipyard recently announced that it has successfully built the world's first 240,000-ton nuclear-powered container carrier. The transport ship adopts China's self-developed small nuclear reactor technology, which is capable of sailing continuously for 20 years after a single refueling, without the need to resupply again. It is also the world's largest nuclear-powered transport ship, marking a major breakthrough in China's small nuclear reactor technology and laying a solid foundation for the construction of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the future.
At present, China already has three conventionally powered aircraft carriers, namely "Liaoning", "Shandong" and "Fujian". Among them, the construction of the "Fujian" has been completed, mooring trials are underway, and sea trials are expected to be carried out soon. According to China's aircraft carrier construction practice, every time an aircraft carrier is commissioned, a new aircraft carrier will be started. Thus, China's fourth aircraft carrier, the project 004 aircraft carrier, has already entered the stage of segmented construction. This stage is relatively secretive, and only the relevant personnel can understand the progress, and it is difficult for the outside world to snoop. Only when the hull is closed and the slipway is boarded will the true face of the aircraft carrier 004 be shown to the public.
China's aircraft carrier technology has reached the world's advanced level, second only to the United States. Compared with the latest "Ford" class aircraft carriers in the United States, China's aircraft carrier technology is only one step behind, and that is nuclear power. If nuclear power can be realized, China's aircraft carriers can go hand in hand with the United States and enter the first echelon of the world's aircraft carrier technology. The gap between Chinese and American aircraft carriers is only this last step. So, can China's Project 004 aircraft carrier become China's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?And what significance will it have for the Chinese Navy?Today, let's take a look at the possibilities and impact of the 004 aircraft carrier.
China's three existing aircraft carriers are all coastal defense types, mainly operating in the western Pacific, and can occasionally go around the Central Pacific, but they do not have the ability to continue operations in the Central Pacific. This is because China lacks overseas military bases, and once it moves away from logistical support along the southeast coast, China's aircraft carrier battle groups will face shortages of fuel, fresh water and food. This limits the ocean-going combat capabilities of Chinese aircraft carriers.
The United States, on the other hand, has 374 military bases around the world, including 242 naval bases. Whether it's East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, or other regions, there are U.S. naval bases. U.S. aircraft carriers can be replenished anytime and anywhere, without worrying about material shortages. Although nuclear power can allow aircraft carriers to have unlimited range, military supplies such as food, ammunition and fresh water still need to rely on overseas bases.
At present, China has only one overseas logistics support base, which is the base in Djibouti. There, China built a large pier 340 meters long and 40 meters wide to dock aircraft carriers. However, the Djibouti base is too small, and it can be used as a transit point in peacetime, but once it enters wartime, Djibouti will not be enough, and ports and docks may become targets for the enemy. "Liaoning", "Shandong", and "Fujian" are all conventionally powered aircraft carriers, and they need a lot of fuel for ocean voyages. Without enough overseas bases, it is difficult to carry out ocean-going missions.
Therefore, China's three existing aircraft carriers are mainly defensive, with the aim of keeping the enemy out of the country. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, on the other hand, are mainly offensive and aim to defend overseas interests. If ocean-going operations are not taken into account, there is no need for nuclear power, and conventionally powered aircraft carriers can meet the demand. However, China's economic interests are already spread all over the world, while overseas military construction is seriously lagging behind. The construction of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is not only necessary to deal with overseas threats, but also the only way for China's aircraft carrier battle group to go deep blue.
In terms of performance, the 004 aircraft carrier will be the pinnacle of China's aircraft carrier technology, and will have advanced equipment such as a large through deck, electromagnetic catapult, nuclear power, all-electric propulsion system, stealth carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based air early warning aircraft, carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, and carrier-based stealth drones. The displacement of the 004 aircraft carrier will be at least 100,000 tons, and the number of carrier-based aircraft will also exceed 80 aircraft. In all aspects of combat performance, the 004 aircraft carrier will be comparable to the American "Ford" class aircraft carriers.
In terms of construction period, the 004 aircraft carrier will not be much longer than the 003 aircraft carrier, because the 003 aircraft carrier has undergone a major design change in the middle of the year. Initially, the 003 aircraft carrier planned to use steam catapults and J-15T conventional carrier-based aircraft, but later, Academician Ma Weiming took the lead in breaking through electromagnetic catapult technology, and Shenfei Group also successfully developed the J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft. This extended the construction period of the 003 aircraft carrier by two years before it could be equipped with an electromagnetic catapult system and a J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft.
The J-15T fell victim, its first prototype made its first flight in 2016, but after only 7 years, it was eliminated and faced the fate of being replaced. The J-15T, which is already mass-produced, will also be the last, and they will be completely replaced by the J-35. The "Fujian" aircraft carrier may use a mixed formation of J-15T and J-35, but by the 004 aircraft carrier, all J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft will be used.
The construction of the aircraft carrier "Fujian" was planned for 5 years, but due to mid-term revisions, it was delayed by two years before it was completed in 2023. The technical preparation of the No. 004 aircraft carrier is very sufficient, and it does not need any major modifications on the way, but its tonnage is 20,000 tons larger than that of the "Fujian", and the amount of work is also larger, and it is expected that the construction period of the No. 004 aircraft carrier will also be about 7 years. That is, by 2030, the construction of the 004 aircraft carrier will be completed. But this does not mean that China will be able to have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers only after 2030. Because China does not have only one aircraft carrier manufacturing base, but two. One is Dalian Shipyard and the other is Jiangnan Shipyard. Both shipyards have accumulated a wealth of experience in aircraft carrier manufacturing, and there is no shortage of technology, talent, and workers. China's third batch of aircraft carriers, with a high probability of building two at the same time. By 2030, China will have at least 5 aircraft carriers, which is a basic goal.
With two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, China's carrier battle group can extend its range to the Central Pacific and Indian Oceans, and even the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can carry at least 120 J-35 stealth carrier-based aircraft, which is equivalent to the naval and air force strength of a medium-sized country. A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle group will be able to deal with any enemy provocation. The only suspense is which province will the 004 aircraft carrier be named in?This is a question to look forward to.
In short, China's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is just around the corner, it will be the culmination of China's aircraft carrier technology, and it will also be the trump card of the Chinese Navy. With nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, China's maritime interests can be better protected, China's maritime strategy can be more proactive, and China's international status can be more solid. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the dream of the Chinese Navy and the pride of the Chinese people.