At the shipyard in the Chinese city of Dalian, a structure resembling a section of the hull for the future Type 004 nuclear aircraft carrier for the Chinese Navy has already been constructed, alongside mock-ups of the J-15 deck fighter and the Z-8 helicopter.
These images are actually dated back to May 2024, but they have only just become publicly available, which has caused a significant stir. Until now, China has only built non-nuclear aircraft carriers, and now it aims to construct its first nuclear vessel of this class within a few years, indicating a notable increase in Beijing's naval ambitions.
This story has caught the attention of the authors at The War Zone, who have expressed the following assumptions.
The released images show what appears to be "preparations" for electromagnetic catapults, leading to the assumption that the future Type 004 Chinese nuclear aircraft carrier will feature four electromagnetic catapults, similar to the latest Ford-class nuclear aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy.
This can be considered a significant detail, as the number of available catapults directly influences the capability to launch a certain number of aircraft within a specific timeframe. Additionally, the new non-nuclear Fujian aircraft carrier of the Type 003 project for the PLA Navy, launched in the summer of 2022, is equipped with three electromagnetic catapults.
PLAN Type 004 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier finally appeared at Dalian shipyard. It looks like PLAN could go for Type 004 CVN directly without the second Type 003 CV. It is marvelous pic.twitter.com/KBX7wm7600— Fay (@FaySue6) February 13, 2025
Furthermore, the TWZ authors refer to insights from specialized journalist Alex Lacombe, who systematically tracks developments concerning the People's Liberation Army of China, and he presents the following conclusions.
In his view, we are indeed seeing a section of the hull for the future Type 004 nuclear aircraft carrier for the PLA Navy, but this segment does not include the flight deck; rather, it appears to be a segment of the lower decks. Moreover, this hull segment may have a more experimental purpose and may not be integrated as a component of the structure for China's future first nuclear aircraft carrier.
This could be our very first look at Type 004 Chinese Nuclear Carrier modules at Dalian, even J-15 mockup is thereAnother 003 carrier is almost certain at JiangnanLet Dalian cook #ProjectLongwei https://t.co/opb4Ih0YNv pic.twitter.com/aKmwPFWIBQ— Húrin (@Hurin92) February 13, 2025
Moreover, Dalian is the only location in China with the necessary facilities to construct new and maintain existing aircraft carriers in the PLA Navy. Therefore, it is logical that the beginning of work on the first Chinese nuclear aircraft carrier was observed here.
Previously, Defense Express also reported that China is building a secret revolutionary submarine, or the largest underwater combat drone in the world.