China starts building super aircraft carrier bigger than US ship
Beijing has begun building a domestic aircraft carrier with a displacement of 110,000 tons and features not inferior to US aircraft carriers.
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Model of the Type-003 aircraft carrier announced by China in mid-2017. Photo: Livejournal |
China has begun construction on a 110,000-ton Type 003 supercarrier, less than a year after completing its first domestically built carrier. It will be Beijing’s fourth aircraft carrier and will be equipped with an electromagnetic launch system (EMALS) similar to the US’s advanced Ford-class aircraft carriers.SputnikJanuary 5 news.
Type-003 will enhance the combat capabilities of the Chinese naval aviation force, thanks to the application of many modern technologies, but also pose a series of unprecedented challenges. "Building the new aircraft carrier will be much more complicated than the first two. The hull construction alone will take about two years," a Chinese military source revealed.
The Type-003 is a nuclear-powered supercarrier, larger than the US Nimitz-class and Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers. Its enormous size allows the Type-003 to carry dozens of aircraft of various types, ensuring it can carry out various missions far from its base.
The EMALS system allows the Type 003 to operate heavy aircraft such as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, instead of only carrying J-15 carrier-based fighters like the Liaoning and Type 001. The Chinese navy also wants to equip the Type 003 with a carrier-based version of the J-20 stealth fighter, helping the warship confront aircraft carriers equipped with the US Navy's F-35C fighter.
China's navy's ambition is to have four aircraft carrier battle groups by 2030. The country's first domestically built aircraft carrier is expected to enter service later this year.