New satellite imagery obtained by Newsweek shows work advancing on China’s fourth aircraft carrier, with defense analysts increasingly convinced the vessel will be nuclear-powered — a step that would give it far greater range, endurance and sustained speed than its conventionally powered predecessors.

China already possesses the world’s largest navy by hull count and is launching major warships at roughly three times the rate of the United States.

A nuclear carrier would mark a major milestone in President Xi Jinping’s drive to build a “world-class military” by mid-century, and would place China in a club occupied by only two other nations: the U.S., which operates 11 nuclear carriers, and France with its Charles de Gaulle.

What the Imagery Shows

The vessel, known publicly as the Type 004, is under construction at the Dalian shipyard in Liaoning province. Recent imagery suggests work is shifting from basic hull assembly to engine rooms and features analysts believe are intended for nuclear reactors.

In February 17 satellite photos provided by SkyFi, what appear to be two shielded reactor compartments and as many as four engine rooms are visible inside the hull, according to Tom Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

“It increases my confidence that this will be a nuclear-powered carrier—to the point that I’d call it extremely likely,” Shugart said, noting similarities to early construction images of the U.S. Navy’s Ford-class carriers, which use two reactors.

He pointed to parallels with the USS Enterprise, which has two reactors and four shafts. Based on build sequencing visible in the images, Shugart said the Type 004 appears roughly where Enterprise was about two years into construction.

Frederik Van Lokeren, a former Belgian naval officer and independent defense analyst, reached a similar conclusion. He pointed to a raised rectangular section between two large square openings in the hull — one believed to be an engine room, the other likely reserved for reactor containment.

“I am very confident that this vessel will be nuclear powered and that the two large openings will be where the reactor containment units go,” he said. He also noted indications that China may have acquired turbines capable of handling higher steam pressures than those believed to power the Type 003 carrier Fujian, another potential sign the ship is designed for nuclear propulsion.

Chinese shipyards also tend to build faster than their U.S. counterparts, Van Lokeren said. While fitting out engine rooms and installing reactor containment will take months, those steps would likely come before completion of the upper hull and flight deck.

Strategy and Prestige

The Fujian, China’s first indigenously designed and most advanced carrier to date, entered service in November. U.S. defense officials believe China plans to field a total of nine within a decade.

Chinese officials have not confirmed whether the Type 004 will be nuclear-powered.

“The future development plans for China’s aircraft carriers will be comprehensively considered based on national defense needs,” Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., previously told Newsweek, adding that China’s military modernization is not directed at any third party.

Analysts say the expansion is about both military capability and national prestige.

Collin Koh, senior fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said the buildup fits Beijing’s long-term shift from a near-seas “green-water” navy to a “blue-water” force capable of sustained operations beyond the First Island Chain — a line of U.S.-aligned territories and partners that Washington sees as key to containing the People’s Liberation Army Navy in a regional conflict.

The trajectory echoes a three-step maritime vision laid out decades ago by Adm. Liu Huaqing, who led the PLA Navy in the 1980s. The later phases envision pushing operations to the Second Island Chain and eventually boasting a carrier force with global reach comparable to that of the U.S. Navy.

Yet the buildup comes at a time when aircraft carriers face losing relevance in the face of drone swarms and hypersonic missiles—technologies China itself has invested heavily in as part of its anti-access/area-denial strategy.

“To be sure, Chinese thinkers have long recognised the threat posed to aircraft carriers,” Koh said. “But this doesn’t appear to have weakened what they see as a strategic requirement for future campaigns. Some argue that, despite the threat environment, effective countermeasures can be developed.”

Then there’s the matter of status. “Aircraft carriers remain the lynchpin of naval power,” Koh said, “which in turn anchors sea power in the broader strategic sense.”

Newsweek reached out to China’s Defense Ministry by email with a request for comment.

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