Class overview | |
---|---|
Operators | ![]() |
Preceded by | Type 003 aircraft carrier |
Planned | 4 [1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type 004 |
Type | Aircraft carrier |
Displacement | Up to 110,000 tons [2] [3] |
Propulsion | Nuclear marine propulsion |
Speed | 30+ knots [4] |
Aircraft carried | 70 to 100 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, [5] including J-15 and possibly or J-31 fighters, Xian KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and stealth attack drones. [6] |
Aviation facilities | Hangar deck |
The Type 004 aircraft carrier is a planned supercarrier of the People's Liberation Army Navy's aircraft carrier programme. It is intended to be an iteration on the preceding Type 003 aircraft carrier, and like the Type 003, it will feature an integrated electric propulsion system that will allow the operation of electromagnetic catapults. [7] Unlike the conventionally-powered Type 003, the Type 004 will be much larger and also the first Chinese carrier to feature nuclear marine propulsion, [7] [8] and could generate enough electricity to power laser weapons and railguns currently under development. [9] As of 2017 [update] , China hoped to complete this carrier by the late 2020s, and indicated that up to four might be built. [1]
In 2017, China's central government was reportedly ready to spend RMB 22 billion (US$3.3 billion) on the development of two prototype molten salt nuclear reactors to be built at Wuwei in Gansu province. The goal then was to have the reactors operational by 2020. The PLA Navy is interested in the technology to power its warships and aircraft carriers. [10] [ needs update ]
In late 2017, 1600-ton gantry cranes were installed in Jiangnan Shipyard, prompting speculation that the aircraft carrier would be built there. [11] Later, in March 2018, a leak by shipbuilder China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, the owner of Dalian Shipyard, suggested that the nuclear-powered Type 004 aircraft carrier would be part of its portfolio as well. [6] In April 2018, news.com.au, an Australian tabloid claimed that metal cutting for the Type 004 began back in December 2017. [11]
The Type 004 would likely carry a complement of J-15 and J-35 fighters, Xian KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force, and stealth attack drones. [6]
It was previously suggested that the aircraft carrier could carry J-20 aircraft. [9] However, in a programme on China Central Television, PLA Navy Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong dismissed the possibility that the aircraft would be used on aircraft carriers as the aircraft was not structurally designed to cope with carrier operations. [12] In addition, it does not have folding wings for compact storage, and its stealth coating would be susceptible to degradation while at sea. [12]
The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national armed forces of the People's Republic of China. It is composed of five sub-branches: the Surface Force, the Submarine Force, the Coastal Defense Force, the Marine Corps and the Naval Air Force, with a total strength of 240,000 personnel, including 15,000 marines and 26,000 naval aviation personnel, deployed among three theater command fleets, namely the North Sea, East Sea and South Sea Fleet.
Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship or submarine with heat provided by a nuclear reactor. The power plant heats water to produce steam for a turbine used to turn the ship's propeller through a gearbox or through an electric generator and motor. Nuclear propulsion is used primarily within naval warships such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers. A small number of experimental civil nuclear ships have been built.
The Type 092 submarine was the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) deployed by the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force.
The Type 052B is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN). The Type 052B was China's first modern destroyer design and the first Chinese design to incorporate true medium-range air defence capability in the form of Russian Shtil-1 surface-to-air missiles (SAM).
A stealth ship is a ship that employs stealth technology construction techniques in an effort to make it harder to detect by one or more of radar, visual, sonar, and infrared methods.
As of 2024, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has two active carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, with the third, Fujian, currently undergoing sea trials. A fourth carrier, currently called "Type 004" and featuring nuclear propulsion, might be under construction. Wang Yunfei, a retired PLA Navy officer and other naval experts projected in 2018/2019 that China might possess five or six aircraft carriers by the 2030s.
The Type 095 is a planned class of third-generation nuclear attack submarines for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. It is anticipated that the Type 095 submarine will have a substantially reduced acoustic signature, within an improved hull design.
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States as well as a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. HII, ranked No. 375 on the Fortune 500, was formed on 31 March 2011, as a divestiture from Northrop Grumman.
The Shenyang FC-31Gyrfalcon, also known as the J-31 or J-35, is a Chinese prototype mid-sized twinjet 5th-generation fighter aircraft developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). The official nickname published by SAC is "Gyrfalcon", though it has also been referred to as the "F-60" or "J-21 Snowy Owl" in some media reports, or "Falcon Hawk" by some military enthusiasts. J-XX nomenclatures in the Chinese military are reserved for programs launched and financed by the People's Liberation Army, while the FC-31 plane was developed independently as a private venture by the aircraft manufacturer.
The Type 055 destroyer is a class of stealth guided-missile destroyers constructed for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It has a multi-mission design; the combination of sensors and weapons provides a main role of area air defence, with anti-submarine warfare capabilities surpassing previous Chinese surface combatants.
The Indian Navy has been focusing on developing indigenous platforms, systems, sensors and weapons as part of the nation's modernisation and expansion of its maritime forces. As of November 2023, the Indian Navy has 67 vessels of various types under construction including destroyers, frigates, corvettes, conventional-powered and nuclear-powered submarines and various other ships. It plans to build up to a total of 200 vessels and 500 aircraft by 2050. According to the Chief of the Naval Staff's statement in December 2020, India has transformed from a buyer's navy to a builder's navy.
The Indian Navy aims to procure new nuclear-powered attack submarines under Project 75 Alpha. The Government of India approved the construction of six of such submarines in February 2015. These will be designed by the Navy's in-house Directorate of Naval Design and built in India at the Shipbuilding Centre at Visakhapatnam. The construction is expected to commence on 2023-24 while the first submarine is expected to enter service in 2032.
Fujian, named after Fujian province, is the third aircraft carrier of the Chinese aircraft carrier programme and the first of the Type 003 class. It is China's first indigenously designed carrier, and its first capable of catapult-assisted take-offs (CATOBAR); previous Chinese carriers used ski-jumps (STOBAR).
Shandong is a Chinese aircraft carrier that was launched on 26 April 2017 for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of the People's Republic of China. It is the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier and second in PLAN service after the completion and commissioning of Liaoning, from which it is derived. Shandong's class was initially suspected to be designated Type 001A but was revealed to be Type 002 at its commissioning ceremony. The class received the NATO reporting name Kuznetsov Mod. ("modified"), since the design of the ship is a modified version of and similar to the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier originally made for the Soviet Navy.
Ma Weiming is a Chinese electrical engineer. He is a professor of the PLA Naval University of Engineering. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and holds the military rank of rear admiral. He led the development of the electromagnetic catapult system for the Type 003 aircraft carrier and the development of electromagnetic railguns. In 2017, he was awarded the Order of August First, the highest honour of the People's Liberation Army.
The Xi'an KJ-600 is a Chinese twin-propeller, quad-tail, high-wing military aircraft designed for cargo and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) intended for carrier-based operations, to be deployed on Type 003 aircraft carriers of the People's Liberation Army Navy from around 2024.
Nanchang (101) is a Type 055 destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 12 January 2020.
The Type 076 landing helicopter dock is a planned class of amphibious assault ship for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Compared to the similarly sized Type 075, the Type 076 is expected to have a CATOBAR system of electromagnetic catapult and arresting gears for operating light fixed-wing aircraft, likely unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV).
Lhasa (102) is a Type 055 destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 7 March 2021.
Dalian (105) is a Type 055 destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 23 April 2021.
Chen Fu, a thermal physicist at the Harbin Institute of Technology involved in the development of new power generation systems for China's navy, said the heat generated by a thorium molten salt reactor could be perfect to help generate power on a warship.