China Wants a Fleet of 9 Nuclear Aircraft Carriers and 1 Could Be Beijing’s Version of the Ford-Class Nuclear Supercarrier

Summary and Key Points: Brandon J. Weichert reads the satellite evidence on China’s Type 004, building at Dalian since early 2025: a hull up to 1,112 feet, a bulbous bow Jane’s photographed finished on September 4, and two 15-by-15-meter compartments CSIS assessed as likely reactor spaces, pointing to a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class with four EMALS catapults.

China is progressing on what will be the largest aircraft carrier ever built outside of the United States: the Type 004.

The Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning Province, northeastern China, is building this carrier. Recent satellite photos indicate the Type 004 could measure up to 1,112 feet long.

More important than the carrier’s impressive size, the Type 004 is set to become China’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, marking a significant technological advancement for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Beijing has not confirmed the ship’s designation, propulsion, or other key specifications; multiple independent analyses of what is known about the Type 004 suggest China is building a supercarrier comparable to the American Gerald R. Ford-class.

They’re doing it for a fraction of the cost, likely with similar technologies (such as the electromagnetic launch system, EMALS).

China began building the Type 004 at Dalian in early 2025.

However, satellite photos from 2024 showed the shipyards preparing for a major construction project.

The Type 004 is believed to have begun construction at Dalian with prefabricated hull components.

Then came the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reporting that the unfinished hull looked as if the new vessel would be substantially larger than China’s existing carriers.

The War Zone, a respected online trade publication, highlighted that the hull had grown with significant progress on the ship’s bow.

Jane’s, a well-known defense intelligence publication, released important satellite imagery taken on September 4 this year.

These photos showed how the shipyard had finished construction of the Type 004’s bulbous bow.

Based on these photos and the professional assessments mentioned above, the Chinese are building a ship in the same size category as the United States Navy’s new Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

If the Type 004 is about the same size as the Ford-class, it will displace about 100,000 tons when fully loaded (though that remains highly speculative).

But satellite photos from last November drew Western attention to the Dalian shipyards.

The photos spotted two large compartments within the carrier’s hull, each about 15 by 15 meters.

CSIS examined the imagery on May 4 of this year and concluded it likely showed nuclear propulsion. Indeed, the compartments appear consistent with the heavily shielded reactor spaces that are used aboard American nuclear-powered supercarriers.

While it was only a matter of time before China, an advanced, powerful, and wealthy nation, achieved its own nuclear-powered carriers, the Type 004’s appearance in Dalian over a year ago seems to have confounded Western observers.

In fact, the Type 004’s appearance in Dalian, and the speed with which Chinese builders have constructed this impressive ship, deeply worries Western military analysts.

Then there’s the fact that the Type 004 is purportedly going to feature the aforementioned EMALS. China already employs this system on its conventionally powered Fujian aircraft carrier.

Some US intelligence analysts accuse China of stealing the EMALS design from the United States, which had been working on it years before the Chinese.

Even if that were true, the Chinese made their EMALS work well before the Americans could work out the bugs on the USS Gerald R. Ford (and now President Donald Trump is trying to force the Navy to abandon EMALS on the USS Doris Miller in favor of older steam-powered catapults).

The conventionally powered Fujian aircraft carrier operates three EMALS catapults. Analysts believe that the Type 004 will feature four, drastically improving carrier-based aircraft SORTIE rates.

What’s more, the Type 004’s larger dimensions than its conventionally powered predecessors (China has three other carriers right now) mean it could accommodate a significantly expanded air wing.

Defense analyst Lyle Goldstein at Defense Priorities assessed that China’s Type 004 could carry 75 to 90 aircraft.

That’s a significant expansion of airpower compared to the Fujian, which carries just 50 to 60 aircraft.

Many assess that future aircraft deployed from the Type 004 would include J-35 stealth fighters, upgraded J-15 fourth-generation warplanes, KJ-600 airborne early-warning aircraft, helicopters, and uncrewed aircraft.

Further, the KJ-600 would be a critical system, providing significant airborne surveillance and command-and-control capabilities similar to the American E-2D Hawkeye.

The question is now what the Chinese intend to use the Type 004 for.

Additional satellite photos of other ships the Chinese are building for their growing fleet offer a preview of what Beijing intends to do with its carrier.

It’s a true Blue-Water capability. “Blue-Water” is a term the US Navy uses to describe a navy that can project sustained power across the world’s oceans.

The Chinese are also building larger replenishment ships to keep the carrier supplied on longer-range missions beyond the First Island Chain (the region extending from the Kamchatka Peninsula through Taiwan and the Philippines).

Those new support ships would provide aviation fuel, ammunition, and supplies to sustain the Type 004 crew.

The Pentagon believes that China wants nine aircraft carriers by 2035. But the Type 004 is still many years away from operational service.

Beijing is not rushing to confirm any details for operational security reasons.

The commissioning date is unknown. The vessel still needs to undergo fitting out.

The nuclear reactor must undergo extensive testing before the ship can deploy.

The carrier will also need significant sea trials and eventual aviation certification before it goes active.

China is also developing pilots, deck crews, maintenance personnel, and escort formations to support this new evolution in its carrier capabilities.

American naval strategists are again soothing themselves with the notion that the Type 004 won’t be operational for years.

They further delude themselves into thinking that, even if the Type 004 hits the High Seas, it will be untested. These are all coping mechanisms for a declining superpower.

At some point, the US Navy must acknowledge that China is rapidly catching up.

If current trends persist, China will surpass not just the size of America’s carrier force, but also catch up to it in quality.

Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor at 19FortyFive.com. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert is the co-host for The Mario Nawfal Show on Twitter/X. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, most recently A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). His next book, Fortress Americas: A New Monroe Doctrine (Tucker Carlson Books), is due out December 8. Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.

Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor at 19FortyFive.com. He was previously the senior national security editor at The National Interest. Weichert is the host of The National Security Hour on iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern. He hosts a companion show on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” Weichert consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, among them Popular Mechanics, National Review, MSN, and The American Spectator. And his books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. Weichert’s newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed on Twitter/X at @WeTheBrandon.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.