After the end of World War II, the importance of aircraft carriers in maritime warfare was highlighted. From a certain point of view, whether a country has aircraft carriers can even reflect whether the country belongs to the maritime power. In maritime warfare, the use of two-dimensional or three-dimensional strikes makes a big difference. China has been actively promoting aircraft carrier construction to close this gap. Now, with the launch of the aircraft carrier "Fujian", China has become a real aircraft carrier power. Although there is still some gap with the United States, the narrowing of this gap is already encouraging. So, after the Fujian aircraft carrier, what will China's next aircraft carrier look like? Is it the second of the Type 003 aircraft carriers, or is it a brand new Type 004 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier?
To understand the difference between nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and traditional ones, we first need to clarify their essential differences. Why do most military enthusiasts today pursue nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? In a future ocean war, when a traditional powered aircraft carrier faces a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is it really powerless to fight back, and can only be captured?
The prototype of an aircraft carrier debuted in 1912, when the British Navy converted a ferry into an aircraft carrier. Subsequently, countries continued to improve the technical and tactical needs of aircraft carriers, until World War II, aircraft carriers emerged in the Pacific theater. The United States fought the world's first naval air battle with Japan, marking the beginning of a whole new mode of maritime warfare.
Then, in November 1961, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the United States, the USS Enterprise, was unveiled, and the aircraft carrier entered the nuclear-powered era. As you can see from the timeline, developing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is clearly more challenging. This technical challenge ultimately translates into greater endurance. In addition, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can carry more weapons, since there is no need for a large amount of space for fuel reserves. Although in a large-scale maritime war, this gap does not determine victory or defeat, a small advantage usually affects the outcome of the war.
However, the advantages of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are not so obvious in coastal combat, especially in the waters near China. With logistical support at any time, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with greater endurance do not have much advantage. Given the continent's sheer size, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will run out of fuel sooner or later, regardless of whether the endurance is one, two or three years. In addition, even if the endurance is equal, the weapons and ammunition are not necessarily the same.
Therefore, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with advanced performance do not seem to meet the real needs of China's coastal combat. In China's first, second and third island chains, conventionally powered aircraft carriers are also able to operate freely. In this case, it is also reasonable for the appearance of the aircraft carrier 004 as the second aircraft carrier of project 003. Of course, this does not mean that China will not develop nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Until we are sure how much future maritime warfare will evolve, we should remain vigilant. Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have advantages for long-term maritime patrols, which meet the needs of the United States as the "policeman of the world." However, China does not urgently need such capabilities, especially in short-sea battles, where the advantage of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is relatively small.
Finally, China may need to build more Type 003 aircraft carriers to meet possible future challenges. The addition of each new aircraft carrier will further strengthen China's maritime defense capabilities, especially as the number of navies reaches a certain size, forming a layer-by-layer defense system.
In conclusion, while nuclear-powered aircraft carriers attract the attention of military enthusiasts, China does not seem to have any current plans to turn the 004 into a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. In addition to technical difficulties, China currently has limited shipyard and nuclear reactor installation capacity. Future models of maritime warfare are likely to evolve differently, so flexibility is critical.