Just days after China commissioned its advanced Fujian aircraft carrier, new satellite imagery and photos from the Dalian shipyard indicate that the Type 004 carrier under construction may be the country’s first nuclear-powered warship.
The War Zone military website reports the hull shows a structure strikingly similar to the reactor containment features found on US nuclear supercarriers, a potential breakthrough that would grant the Chinese navy unprecedented global reach.
The timing of these revelations is significant, emerging less than a week after China celebrated the launch of its third carrier, the conventionally-powered Fujian. The new visual evidence, analyzed by The War Zone, points to a major technological leap for China’s naval ambitions.
The report, which circulated on Wednesday, states that the Type 004’s hull features what appears to be a specialized containment structure, a design element long associated with nuclear propulsion systems on American carriers.
“Certainly, the structure is broadly similar to that which is found in US nuclear-powered supercarriers, and there is a general consensus that what we can see here is related to the future installation of a nuclear reactor,” stated The War Zone in its analysis. While the report cautiously noted the structure could be a test module, it represents the most tangible sign yet that China is moving to join the exclusive club of nations operating nuclear-powered carriers.
This development aligns with comments made last week by a Chinese expert on state broadcaster CCTV, who acknowledged Beijing might build nuclear-powered carriers in the future.
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The strategic advantage of nuclear propulsion is transformative. Unlike conventional carriers like the Fujian, which rely on steam turbines and diesel generators and have a limited range of approximately 8,000-10,000 nautical miles, a nuclear-powered vessel offers virtually unlimited operational range.
This endurance allows for extended deployments far from home ports, a critical capability for a navy increasingly focused on power projection into the blue waters of the western Pacific and beyond. All 11 of the US Navy’s active aircraft carriers are nuclear powered, giving them a significant strategic mobility advantage.
If confirmed, the nuclear-powered Type 004 would make China only the third nation after the United States and France to operate such a vessel, dramatically closing a key technological gap with the American military. This capability would provide a substantial advantage as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) seeks to operate beyond the first island chain—the strategic arc of islands from Japan to the Philippines that has traditionally confined Chinese naval power.
According to The War Zone, the evidence from Dalian is bolstered by earlier reports; in November last year, the Associated Press revealed China had built a land-based prototype nuclear reactor suitable for a large warship in Sichuan province.
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The progress on the Type 004 comes after Yuan Huazhi, political commissar for the PLA Navy, confirmed in March that construction of a fourth carrier was underway, though he declined to specify its propulsion system. The emerging design, as seen in online concept art, appears to draw inspiration from the US Gerald R. Ford-class, incorporating both advanced electromagnetic catapults—a feature already on the Fujian—and the potential for nuclear power. This combination would create a carrier capable of sustaining high-tempo air operations anywhere in the world.
Adding to the scale of China’s naval expansion, The War Zone report also suggests that parallel construction of another conventionally-powered carrier may be starting at the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai. Satellite imagery reportedly shows cleaning processes in the dock, a potential precursor to new hull assembly.
This simultaneous development at two major shipyards underscores the rapid pace and massive resources China is committing to building a world-class carrier fleet, signaling a new and potent chapter in global naval competition.
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