China has initiated construction on its fourth aircraft carrier, designated as the Type-004, at the Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning Province. Satellite imagery from Vantor, analysed by Janes, reveals distinctive features indicative of nuclear propulsion, including two probable reactor containment vessels visible within the dry dock.​​

Prefabricated hull modules first appeared in early 2025, with significant progress by mid-year as keel and bottom blocks were assembled. By November 2025, two compartments measuring approximately 15 by 15 metres had formed around these structures, featuring multi-layered shielding composed of borated materials and high-density metals.​

This configuration strongly suggests the employment of twin nuclear reactors, a departure from the conventional propulsion systems of China's preceding carriers: Liaoning (Type-001), Shandong (Type-002), and Fujian (Type-003).​

The development aligns with prior Janes analysis from October 2025, which examined a full-scale carrier mock-up at the 701st Research Institute in Wuhan. Satellite images from July 2025 showed the mock-up's island superstructure repositioned aft-wards, a design trait common to nuclear-powered carriers for optimal reactor placement and exhaust management.​

Completed sections in the Dalian dry dock imply a full-load displacement of around 100,000 tonnes, positioning the Type 004 as a supercarrier rivalling the United States Navy's Nimitz and Ford classes in scale and endurance.​

Nuclear propulsion will afford extended operational range without frequent refuelling, enhancing the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) blue-water capabilities across the First and Second Island Chains. Infrastructure upgrades at Qingdao naval base and a nearby airfield further signal preparations for this vessel's integration.

Construction timelines suggest hull assembly accelerated post-Fujian commissioning in late 2025, with the Type 004 potentially entering service by the early 2030s. This advances China's ambition for six carriers by 2035, forming multiple carrier strike groups.​

Japanese think tanks, including the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, corroborate the nuclear attribution through independent satellite reviews, noting a 270-metre support structure in the same dock once used for Shandong.​

The shift to nuclear power necessitates specialised facilities, such as expanded cooling systems and reinforced docks at Dalian, alongside land-based reactor prototypes possibly completed near Jiajiang by 2020.

Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) tracks, glimpsed in earlier imagery, indicate four catapults—surpassing Fujian's three—enabling deployment of heavier J-35 stealth fighters and enhanced sortie rates.​

This carrier program underscores Beijing's naval modernisation drive, countering United States presence in the Indo-Pacific amid rising tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.​

For India, as a regional counterbalance, the Type-004 amplifies PLAN power projection, necessitating accelerated indigenous carrier development like INS Vikrant successors and bolstered submarine deterrence.​

Western analysts view the project as a historic leap, with reactor containment shapes mirroring American designs, potentially complicating future maritime confrontations.​​

Based On Janes Report