The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will make Beijing a force to be reckoned with in the open seas. If satellite images are to be believed then it will also match the biggest vessel in the United States fleet in size.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is likely being built at the Dalian shipbuilding facility in China. Currently, only the US and France have nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in their fleet.
With the construction inching forward, Beijing could soon join the elite list of countries with an unmatchable naval capability.
It should be noted that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) already commands the largest number of vessels in the world. However, a criticism of this fleet size is that it is not modernized as per today’s requirements.
However, this could soon change with the induction of a nuclear-powered warfighter.
In 2024, a research conducted by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California had confirmed that China is working on a nuclear-powered propulsion system for a large warship.
The research was verified by analysis of satellite imagery and documents from Beijing by the Associated Press (AP).
It had confirmed that Beijing had developed a land-based prototype nuclear reactor that can provide power to a large surface warship.
Now, the images from China’s Dalian shipbuilding facility were studied by experts in the US. The experts told NBC News that the progress being made by China on this front is quite significant.
