China has quietly accelerated construction of a new aircraft carrier, known externally as hull 004, that promises to be markedly larger and more capable than the recently commissioned Fujian. Shipyard activity indicates construction is progressing at pace, and Chinese sources suggest the vessel could displace roughly 120,000 tonnes and enter the water as early as 2027. The decision to move directly to a much larger platform, rather than repeat Fujian as a sister ship, signals an intentional shift toward longer‑range, sustained power projection.
The purported specifications of 004 reflect three principal enhancements over Fujian. First, the carrier is widely expected to employ nuclear propulsion, a change that would grant far greater endurance and operational range compared with conventionally powered carriers. Second, designers appear to be planning a larger air wing — commentators cite capacity for roughly 80 fixed‑wing aircraft — and an expanded flight‑deck architecture, reportedly with three aircraft elevators and four electromagnetic catapults to accelerate sortie generation.
Taken together, these design choices would alter how a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier strike group operates. Nuclear propulsion and a larger air complement would enable persistent deployments in distant waters and reduce reliance on replenishment at sea. Faster deck cycles from additional catapults and elevators would also increase sortie rates, improving the carrier’s ability to sustain high‑tempo air operations in a contested environment.
The hull‑004 programme is both a technical and a symbolic milestone. In little over two decades the PLAN has gone from refurbishing an imported hull to building multiple indigenously designed flat‑top carriers, and now appears set to construct a ship comparable in scale to the largest carriers in history. That rapid learning curve reflects substantial investment in shipbuilding, avionics, nuclear engineering and carrier aviation, and it will be watched closely by navies across the Indo‑Pacific and beyond.
But technical capacity does not automatically translate into doctrinal or operational success. A fleet centered on very large nuclear carriers raises questions about tactics, vulnerability to long‑range anti‑ship missiles and submarines, and the logistics of sustaining a carrier strike group. Whether the PLAN will build a supporting fleet with the anti‑air, anti‑submarine and replenishment capabilities to protect and sustain such platforms will determine whether hull 004 becomes a true instrument of global power projection or a high‑value, high‑risk flagship confined to regional waters.