The Chinese Navy's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is about to undergo sea trials, the second aircraft carrier designed and built by China itself, demonstrating the progress of China's aviation technology and the improvement of its shipbuilding capabilities. However, for China's fourth aircraft carrier, netizens have different expectations and speculations, the most interesting of which is whether it will use a nuclear power system, so as to achieve the advantages of unlimited endurance and fast start, and improve the Chinese Navy's ocean-going combat capabilities.
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the signature equipment of the U.S. Navy, with eleven nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, occupying absolute superiority in global maritime power. The biggest feature of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is that it does not need to be refueled frequently, it can perform tasks at sea for a long time, and the time from berthing to launch is very short, and it can quickly respond to unexpected situations. These characteristics make many Chinese netizens envious, and they also hope that China can have its own nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as soon as possible to enhance its national defense strength and international influence.
So, does China have the capacity to build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? This is not a simple question and involves many factors and challenges. First of all, the nuclear power system itself is a difficult technology, which requires mature capabilities in nuclear reactor design, nuclear fuel handling, nuclear radiation protection, and nuclear safety supervision. Although China has a good foundation and development in the field of nuclear energy, and has successfully built nuclear-powered container ships, there are still many technical difficulties and risks to solve when applying nuclear power systems to aircraft carriers.
Secondly, the nuclear power system is not just a single component, it also needs to be matched with other systems and equipment of the aircraft carrier to form a complete aircraft carrier platform. This involves the overall design of the aircraft carrier, the structural layout, the distribution of electricity, the propulsion control, the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft, the combat command and other aspects of technology and experience. In these aspects, China still needs to continue to learn and accumulate, and it must not blindly follow the US model, but find a plan and path that suits itself.
Thirdly, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are not only a technical issue, but also a strategic issue, involving national security interests, international responsibilities, environmental protection, long-term development and other considerations. The construction and use of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers requires sufficient economic support, political determination, legal norms, social recognition, international cooperation and other conditions. The commissioning and decommissioning of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers also require a sound maintenance and handling mechanism to avoid nuclear contamination and nuclear threat. China also needs to have a sober understanding and planning in these aspects, and cannot only see the advantages of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and ignore its costs and risks.
To sum up, the possibility of China building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is not zero, but it is not very high, and it requires full preparation and judgment, and it cannot be rushed or given up easily. At present, China should continue to improve and optimize the performance and efficiency of conventionally powered aircraft carriers, solve the problems of start-up time and endurance, and improve the combat capability and reliability of aircraft carriers. At the same time, China should also strengthen the research and development and testing of nuclear power systems, master core technologies, and lay a solid foundation for future nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Only in this way can China make the right choice and decision on the issue of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and realize its dream of becoming a powerful navy.