Structure At Chinese Shipyard May Point To China’s Next Aircraft Carrier’s Capabilities

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Structure At ******** Shipyard May Point To China’s Next Aircraft Carrier’s Capabilities

We may have just gotten our first sight of China’s next-generation aircraft carrier,

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— or at least a portion of it. Construction work at a shipyard in Dalian, in China’s Liaoning province, reveals a module that is consistent with an aircraft carrier —

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once it enters service — although there remain questions about the precise nature of the object, which may be intended for testing rather than as part of the finished warship.

The module in question, apparently a section of the flight deck, is seen in satellite imagery provided by

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Earth and which first began to circulate on ******** defense forums. The imagery dates back to May 2024 but was only recently published. Close to the module are mockups of a J-15 Flanker series carrier-based fighter and a

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naval helicopter. Mockups of this kind are frequently used in carrier development work in China, both

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and

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.

A wider view of the module at Dalian, in a satellite image dated May 17, 2024.

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Earth

Well, you all know how sceptical I am usually, but this could actually be proof for the first time that 004 is under construction!

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— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino)

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Provided that what appears as lines running along the module are trenches for catapult tracks, which seems the most likely explanation, this would suggest that the Type 004 will have two waist catapults, in addition to the two bow catapults. This would match the arrangement of

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 and would add an extra catapult compared with China’s third carrier, the Type 003

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, which has a single catapult in the waist position.

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A view of the USS Gerald R. Ford showing the four catapults found on U.S. Navy supercarriers. U.S. Navy

The module is located within the sprawling Dalian complex, the specific location being Xianglujiao, which is where the dry dock for China’s earlier Type 001 

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and Type 002 

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 aircraft carriers is also located.

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A satellite image dated January 2024 shows that work on the module had begun by this point.

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Earth

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Three J-15s (or J-15 mockups) seen in a satellite image of the same location, dated April 2022.

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Earth

TWZ spoke to Alex Luck, a journalist who closely follows the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), for his assessment of the module.

Noting that it’s probably too early to make any concrete assessment about the role of this particular module, Luck says that the Dalian location makes sense for a new carrier, with the adjacent dock already used for carrier construction and maintenance.

On the other hand, as Luck points out, the first modules spotted for the Fujian in 2018 were lower hull segments, rather than a flight deck module, which seems to be what we are looking at here.

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China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, shortly before it went to sea for the first time in April 2024. via X via X

Since lower hull segments make more sense in terms of procedural assembly, it could be the case that this is not a production module but instead a test or demonstrator segment for the future flattop.

There is a precedent for this, with a demonstrator module for the future Fujian noted at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, back in 2013. With that in mind, a similar approach for the Type 004, involving test portions of the new carrier, to iron out any early problems with the design wouldn’t be entirely surprising.

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A demonstrator module for the future Fujian at Jiangnan Shipyard in 2013. via ******** Internet

As for the presence of the aircraft mockups next to the new module, Luck observes that these are likely not necessarily directly related to the new carrier, with the same ones probably having been used for the Liaoning and the Shandong beforehand.

Previous rumors had suggested that the Type 004 might be built at a different location, namely Dalian Dagushan, located across the bay from Xianglujiao, so that too raises some questions about the purpose of the module. Dalian Dagushan is where the most recent

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‘super-destroyers’ and Type 052DL destroyers are being built but, again, we don’t know for sure that the Type 004 will also be built here.

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The respective locations of Xianglujiao (where the Type 004 module was seen) and Dalian Dagushan.

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Earth

Previously, there had also been speculation that the Type 004 might be constructed at Jiangnan, which produced the Fujian, and this shipyard also offered some concept art depicting a new aircraft carrier design. The

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had some broad external similarities to 

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 and France’s 

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, although, at this stage, we really can’t say what the Type 004 will look like.

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An artist’s concept of a future ******** aircraft carrier. ******** internet via @HenriKenhmann

Whatever the role of the new module, there’s certainly a strong possibility that it’s related to China’s next carrier, with previous suggestions that the Type 004 could enter service sometime in the late 2020s.

When it does finally appear, the Type 004 is expected to be a notably more advanced design than Liaoning and Shandong, which are by now well established with the PLAN fleet, as well as the Fujian, the country’s first domestically produced carrier, which is

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for operational service.

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, the Fujian began sea trials in mid-2024 and is expected to enter operational service in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Like Fujian — and in contrast to the two previous carriers — the Type 004 will be equipped to launch aircraft via catapults. The PLAN’s two in-service carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning, are both short takeoff but arrested recovery, or STOBAR, types with prominent ‘ski jump’ takeoff ramps. Catapults offer manifold advantages, especially when it comes to launching aircraft at higher gross weights, which translates to larger fuel and ordnance loads. They can also generally accommodate a wider array of aircraft types, too. This includes larger and slower designs, like the still-in-development 

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 carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft, as well as smaller ones, such as drones.

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A satellite view of a prototype KJ-600. via ******** Internet Another satellite image shows a KJ-600 prototype in the green primer paint now frequently seen on ******** naval aircraft. via ******** internet

Presumably, the Type 004 will have an advanced 

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 (EMALS), provided it

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. Otherwise, this type of equipment is currently only in use with the U.S. Navy.

Aside from the KJ-600, the air wing for the new carrier will likely include the

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, supported by advanced versions of the J-15 multirole fighter. The carrier is also likely to host

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, such as

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of the

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uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), plus

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.

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One of the first prototypes of the carrier-based J-35 stealth fighter. via ******** internet

There have long been reports that the Type 004 will be a nuclear-powered vessel, which would give it effectively unlimited range and help meet the power-generation demands of ever-improving sensors, other mission systems, and possibly directed-energy weapons. At this stage, that remains unconfirmed but would certainly be in line with the PLAN’s expanding carrier ambitions.

As well as its aircraft carriers, China is meanwhile also working to introduce a number of very large big-deck amphibious assault ships, referred to as the Type 076. Each will feature at least one electromagnetic catapult that is expected to be primarily used to launch drones, as you can read more about here.

In its latest

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, the Pentagon doesn’t explicitly mention the Type 004, but does state that the PLAN is “in the beginning stages of operating its multi-carrier force.” It also notes that the Fujian is just the first warship within a “nextgeneration of carriers” that will be characterized by “greater endurance and an electromagnetic catapult launch system, making them capable of launching various types of specialized fixed-wing aircraft for missions, such as airborne early warning and electronic warfare. This will increase the striking power of a potential PLAN carrier battle group when deployed to areas beyond the PRC’s immediate periphery.”

While the PLAN’s carrier force is still clearly outmatched by the U.S. Navy’s fleet of 11 active nuclear-powered supercarriers, China is already benefiting from having

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, and this advantage is set to become more pronounced in the years to come. As the ******** military buildup continues, the Type 004 future aircraft carrier is clearly a program to watch.

Contact the author: *****@*****.tld

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#Structure #******** #Shipyard #Point #Chinas #Aircraft #Carriers #Capabilities

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