Construction of fourth ship resumed earlier this year after delays as Beijing continues to flex its naval power.
China is building its fourth aircraft carrier as it seeks to boost its naval power in the Asia-Pacific region, and the vessel is “likely to be nuclear powered”, a new report revealed on Saturday, citing sources close to the country’s military.
The South China Morning Post quoted a person close to the Chinese navy as saying that shipbuilders “are keen on making a significant breakthrough” with the construction of the fourth carrier.
“It will be a technological leap for the shipbuilding industry,” the source told the Post.
Another unnamed source also told the publication that Chinese officials are studying a proposal “to use nuclear power for the fourth carrier”.
The person did not say if a final decision was made, but told the Post it would be “a very bold decision that is full of challenges”.
Construction of the fourth ship, which has already been delayed for two years, resumed earlier this year.
Currently, there are two Chinese aircraft carriers already operating and a third one that is expected to be launched this year – none of them have nuclear capability.
It was only in 2017 when China launched its first domestically made aircraft carrier, in a demonstration of the growing technical sophistication of its defence industries.
The 50,000-tonne carrier, known as Shandong, is based on the Soviet Kuznetsov-class design, with a ski jump-style deck for taking off and a conventional oil-fuelled steam turbine power plant.
The other vessel in operation is the 60,000-tonne Liaoning aircraft carrier, which was bought from Ukraine.
The third one, expected to be in operation this year, has an estimated displacement of about 85,000 tonnes, according to the Post report.
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