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 is starting construction on its 110,000-ton Type 003 supercarrier, less than a year after completing its first domestically built carrier. This will be Beijing's fourth aircraft carrier, equipped with an electromagnetic launch system (EMALS) similar to the US's advanced Ford-class aircraft carrier.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.
Type-003 is a nuclear-powered supercarrier, larger than the US Nimitz-class and Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers. Its enormous size allows 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 aircraft carriers. The Chinese navy also wants to equip the Type-003 with a carrier-based version of the J-20 stealth fighter, helping this 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.
