China Advances Towards Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Development

Recent analyses of satellite imagery and official documents from the Chinese government have revealed that China has constructed a land-based prototype nuclear reactor intended for a large naval vessel. This finding is one of the most compelling indicators to date that Beijing is making significant strides toward launching its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

With the world’s largest navy based on ship count, China has been aggressively modernizing its fleet. The introduction of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers would represent a pivotal advancement in China’s aspirations for a formidable global naval presence, potentially challenging the dominance of the United States on the high seas. Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, remarked, “Nuclear-powered carriers would elevate China into the elite ranks of first-class naval powers, a category currently occupied solely by the United States and France.” Such a development would not only enhance military capabilities but also serve as a symbol of national pride, igniting a sense of “domestic nationalism.”

The discovery was made by researchers from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, who were investigating a mountainous area near the city of Leshan in southwest China. Initially, they suspected that China might be constructing a reactor aimed at producing plutonium or tritium for nuclear weapons. However, their findings suggest that the focus has shifted toward developing a prototype reactor specifically for a large warship.

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The reactor is situated within a newly established facility known as Base 909, which is home to six other reactors that are either operational, decommissioned, or currently under construction. This site falls under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Power Institute of China, a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation, which specializes in reactor engineering research and testing.

The presence of contracts for steam generators and turbine pumps indicates that the project involves a pressurized water reactor equipped with a secondary circuit—a configuration that aligns with the specifications typical of naval propulsion reactors, according to the researchers. In their comprehensive 19-page report, they assert that “the Nuclear Power Development Project most certainly pertains to the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.”

The People’s Liberation Army Navy is already recognized as the largest in the world, boasting over 370 ships and submarines. However, it still trails behind the United States Navy in several key areas, particularly in the realm of nuclear-powered carriers; the US maintains eleven such vessels, enabling it to deploy strike groups worldwide consistently. The Pentagon has voiced increasing concerns over China’s rapid naval modernization, highlighting that these advancements align with China’s expanding focus on maritime operations and its growing strategic aspirations.

As of now, neither China’s Ministry of Defence nor its Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to requests for comments regarding these developments.