China to soon unveil fourth aircraft carrier, which is likely to be nuclear-powered: PLA Navy political commissar

China is building its fourth aircraft carrier which is expected to be nuclear-powered and will soon unveil it.

The information was revealed by the political commissar of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Yuan Huazhi on the sidelines of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC).

“[We] will tell you soon,” Yuan, who is also a NPC deputy, said.

Why China building fourth aircraft carrier a big news?

The announcement by Yuan is the first official confirmation of China’s efforts to build a fourth aircraft carrier, commonly known as the Type 004.

However, for long, illustrations of the warship have been circulating on the internet.

The artwork was purported to have been from the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai, where the aircraft carrier is believed to be construed.

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China has been working towards expanding its fleet of aircraft carrier as it aims to develop a modern “blue-water” navy within the next decade.

‘Progressing smoothly’

Yuan further said there is no “technical bottleneck” in China’s aircraft carrier and the development is progressing smoothly.

Will China’s newest carrier be nuclear-powered?

When asked if China’s newest carrier would be nuclear-powered, Yuan said it “will soon be announced”.

There has been discussion on whether China’s latest warship could take another step up to become nuclear-powered, allowing it to generate sufficient power for catapult-launch take-offs and offer a longer range with a higher speed.

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Currently, only the US and French navies have nuclear-powered carriers – the American Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford class ships, and the French flagship Charles de Gaulle.

Meanwhile, a report by Global Times quoted some analysts saying they expect China’s next aircraft carrier to be nuclear-powered because of advantages such as unlimited range, while others think the country could build another conventionally powered carrier like it’s third carrier Fujian which is said to be cost efficiency and faster combat capability generation.

Difference between US and Chinese aircraft carriers

Answering a question about the differences between the combat capabilities of Chinese and the US aircraft carriers, Yuan said China’s aircraft carrier program is not aimed at competing with the US, but at safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity and rights.

Responding on whether China can deal with US aircraft carriers that have been intensively deployed in the West Pacific, Yuan said, “Trust us, we can. We don’t just deal with aircraft carriers. We also deal with [potential threats] comprehensively.”

That’s not the end

A report by the Global Times cited several experts saying China is expected to eventually build more aircraft carriers to better safeguard national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests, as the country develops comprehensively.

Currently, the PLA Navy operates only two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong. Both are conventionally powered and use ski-jump ramps to assist aircraft takeoffs.

Meanwhile, the third carrier, Fujian, is larger than its first two and uses electromagnetic catapults to assist aircraft takeoffs. It is currently undergoing mooring tests and is expected to conduct sea trials this year.

With inputs from agencies