China’s new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
China building nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that could rival US’ biggest warship
Interesting Engineering • March 4, 2025
China is inching forward to closing a significant gap in its naval prowess – a nuclear-powered warship.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will make Beijing a force to be reckoned with in the open seas. If satellite images are to be believed then it will also match the biggest vessel in the United States fleet in size.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is likely being built at the Dalian shipbuilding facility in China. Currently, only the US and France have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in their fleet.
With the construction inching forward, Beijing could soon join the elite list of countries with an unmatchable naval capability.
It should be noted that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) already commands the largest number of vessels in the world. However, a criticism of this fleet size is that it is not modernized as per today’s requirements.
However, this could soon change with the induction of a nuclear-powered warfighter.
China building a nuclear-powered warship
In 2024, a research conducted by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California had confirmed that China is working on a nuclear-powered propulsion system for a large warship.
The research was verified by analysis of satellite imagery and documents from Beijing by the Associated Press (AP).
It had confirmed that Beijing had developed a land-based prototype nuclear reactor that can provide power to a large surface warship.
Now, the images from China’s Dalian shipbuilding facility were studied by experts in the US. The experts told NBC News that the progress being made by China on this front is quite significant.
The warship could even allow fighter jets to be launched from four parts of the flight deck, meaning it is a new design for the warship which is being pursued by Beijing. This design is not visible on any warships that China currently operates – including Fujian, its latest vessel.
The NBC News report relied on images from Maxar Technologies, a defense contractor which is is used by the US government.
Beijing and its representatives have refrained from making any claims about the possible nuclear-powered warship.
PLA Navy’s current prized possessions
PLA currently has a fleet of three aircraft carriers: the Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian. All the three have been built in the recent years; however, all three are conventionally powered.
This is a major issue as nuclear-powered warships can travel over long distances in the open seas without needing a refuel. Therefore, the logical next step forward for Beijing would be to get a warship with this capability.
The earlier reports suggest that PLA wants a single nuclear reactor to power the entire ship, and it has likely achieved this capability.
The Fujian, China’s domestically built aircraft carrier launched three years ago, was the first to use new electromagnetic technology for launching fighter jets. A report by CCTV had claimed that the Fujian is the “world’s largest conventionally powered warship.” The warship had a reported displacement of 80,000 tonnes.
Earlier last year, China had unveiled an amphibious assault ship with jet-launching capability. The first Type 076 ship features an electromagnetic catapult enabling fighter jets to launch from its deck, according to Xinhua.
With electromagnetic catapults enabling rapid fighter jet deployment, the nuclear-powered warship could become a gamechanger for China. It would bring its capability at par with the USS Gerald R Ford warship that the US uses.
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