China S Nuclear Powered Behemoth

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Typical of China it looks like the Type 004 supersized aircraft carrier has gone from rumour, speculation and gossip to being almost completed at the Dalian Shipyard - almost in the blink of an eye. It is not going to be 2030 before this vessel is fully operational either. Construction began in 2022 (just over two years ago) so it will not take another FIVE years to get it sailing the seas. 
What is to be noted is that this carrier is now said to be in the 120,000 ton class. That is a huge ship. The US Navy's largest aircraft carrier the USS Gerald Ford is just below 100,000 tons. The Chinese Type 004 will be about 20% bigger. This means plenty. They can carry more planes, more weapons and stores and be more formidable. And they did it in just over two years. 
It took EIGHT years for the Americans to build the USS Gerald Ford and another FOUR years fitting it out and making it seaworthy - a total of 12 years. The US has 11 aircraft carriers but at any one time only three or four are operational. In 2024 there was a period of four weeks when ALL eleven aircraft carriers of the US Navy were not operational. 
The Type 004 will likely be nuclear powered. The Chinese may make this carrier their standard for a few years. They will build a few Type 004s. But being China they will be designing the next generation already.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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