China is developing a fourth aircraft carrier, to become a deep-sea naval power
China is developing its fourth aircraft carrier to rival the US fleet in the Western Pacific, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) admiral has announced . Let us remember that the USA currently has 11 aircraft carriers in service, but their ambitions are much broader than those of China.
Speaking during an annual legislative meeting in Beijing, PLA Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi said progress was on track and that he had not heard of any "technical obstacles" regarding the development.
He also said the public will soon find out whether the new aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered, just like some of the most advanced warships in the U.S. Navy's inventory. China would have no problem equipping a nuclear reactor with a nuclear reactor.
To date, only the US and French navies have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. This allows them to carry out missions for extended periods without refueling.
“We are building aircraft carriers to protect our national sovereignty and to protect our territorial integrity,” he stressed, as quoted by the South China Morning Post .
Ahead of the announcement, illustrations of the fourth aircraft carrier under construction at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard appeared online.
Shandong
The last aircraft carrier
Yuan's announcement comes nearly two years after Beijing launched its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
Despite being heralded as the country's most advanced warship, the Fujian is not nuclear-powered because Beijing reportedly did not have sufficient naval nuclear reactor technology during its development.
However, the aircraft carrier boasts advanced features, such as electromagnetic catapults and arresters to launch heavier and larger fixed-wing aircraft.
Fujian has not yet undergone sea trials. China then owns the Liaoning , a relatively small aircraft carrier of ex-Soviet construction, but converted in Chinese shipyards, and the S handong , which was the first aircraft carrier built completely in China.
High seas ambitions
China's recent maritime developments are in line with its ambition to develop a modern 'blue-water' navy, capable of operating on the high seas and away from home bases, within the next decade.
The force also needs to have more than one aircraft carrier projecting power away from home. In this case, China begins to have a problem with protecting naval routes to Africa and Europe, and also wants to counterbalance the power of the USA.
Despite its growing size, the PLA Navy is still considered a “green water navy,” operating primarily near its coasts.
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The article China is developing a fourth aircraft carrier, to become a deep-sea naval power comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cina-sta-sviluppando-una-quarta-portaerei-per-diventare-una-potenza-navale-dalto-mare/ on Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:00:09 +0000.