China challenges U.S. with “world’s largest” nuclear-powered supercarrier
China’s navy to expand fleet with Its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, challenging U.S. military dominance
China continues to push forward with its military expansion, this time focusing on its naval fleet. The People’s Liberation Army Navy is reportedly building the world’s largest aircraft carrier, according to satellite images captured by U.S. satellite company Maxar Technologies. But this is not just any carrier.
Located at the Dalian shipyard in Liaoning province, the construction of what will be China’s fourth aircraft carrier appears to be nearing completion. According to experts, this carrier has a unique feature that could challenge U.S. military supremacy in the Pacific.
A Supercarrier with four nuclear-powered catapults
Michael Duitsman, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, revealed that China is developing a supercarrier equipped with four catapults. This launch system puts it on par with its U.S. counterpart, the USS Gerald Ford, currently the largest aircraft carrier in the world..
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We believe these satellite images show the testing equipment and design for the upcoming Type 004 carrier of the Chinese Navy,” Duitsman stated in a video call with MSNBC.
Meanwhile, China remains tight-lipped. Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, declined to comment on the ship’s specifications, reiterating that China’s military doctrine remains strictly defensive. However, some military experts argue that China’s growing technical and industrial capacity to develop nuclear-powered aircraft carriers aligns with its broader military build-up in response to the Taiwan crisis.
Despite this major advancement, Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong suggests that the rise of AI-driven warfare could reduce the strategic importance of manned aircraft carriers. He believes that autonomous systems and unmanned supercarriers capable of deploying drone fleets may become the future backbone of naval forces.
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This military development comes amid escalating geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently warned that China poses a direct challenge to U.S. national security and strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific. In response, the Pentagon has ramped up efforts to strengthen its presence in the region and reinforce its deterrence capabilities against potential conflicts.
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