Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers would give China’s growing navy new reach, and researchers say it’s working on the reactor to power one

China built a land-based prototype nuclear reactor for a large warship, potentially an aircraft carrier.

Researchers say they found evidence that China has built a prototype nuclear reactor to power a large warship, like an aircraft carrier. Such a development could mark a major step forward for a country relatively new to carrier operations.

New research from a team at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California relying on satellite images courtesy of Planet Labs PBC and Chinese documents, China has been working on the reactor at a site in the mountains in Leshan in the Mucheng township in Sichuan province. The satellite images detailing the sites were shared with B-17.

The research was first reported by the Associated Press.

The satellite images are telling, and a range of documents helped fill the gaps. One indicated China’s 701 Institute, an operation also known as the China Ship Research and Design Center that deals with aircraft carrier development, is pursuing a nuclear reactor “for installation on a large surface warship,” making a strong case for work on a new kind of aircraft carrier. The AP reported that other documents identify the work being done in the mountains of Sichuan as the Longwei Project, a secret “national defense-related construction project.”

If China is working on a next-generation nuclear-powered carrier, it would be a move toward a blue-water navy with a potentially global reach, something it lacks right now.

China has been making technological advances in its aircraft carriers, including its newest one, CNS Fujian.

“It’s a goal for China,” Matthew Funaoile, a senior fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told B-17 in an interview prior to the news about the work in Leshan. “They know that this is the hallmark of technology for propulsion on aircraft carriers.”

The first American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was USS Enterprise, commissioned in 1961. All of US Navy’s current carriers, which are a mix of Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers, are nuclear powered.

China has three carriers, the operational Liaoning and Shandong and the Fujian, which is in sea trials. All of these are conventionally powered ships.

Each ship has been an improvement over its predecessor. The Liaoning was built from the unfinished hulk of a Soviet-era carrier. The Shandong featured a similar design but was domestically produced and came with upgrades, like the ability to carry a larger carrier air wing. Both, however, featured a ski jump for aircraft launch.

The new Fujian was a bigger capability jump. It is larger and features a modern flattop design that includes an advanced electromagnetic catapult launch system, similar to the technology on the new US Ford-class carriers. China effectively jumped from ski-jumps to a new system, skipping steam-powered catapults.

When the Fujian first set sail for sea trials, experts assessed that such an advancement reinforced the view that China continues to demonstrate an ability to field, test, refine, and develop capabilities faster than some of its peers. A nuclear-powered carrier wouldn’t be a strange step for China to take, but the timing is unclear.

Developing nuclear propulsion technology is a complex, difficult process. Historically, China has made incremental movements toward domestically producing the technology, Funaoile said, but it’s unclear when it’ll be fielded. China’s fourth carrier, which is confirmed to be under construction, may instead improve on Fujian’s design and capabilities but remain conventionally powered, with nuclear propulsion coming sometime later.

China has been increasingly operating its aircraft carriers in the Indo-Pacific region. The country marked a milestone last month with dual-carrier operations in the South China Sea with the Liaoning and Shandong. And also during a major military exercise surrounding Taiwan last month, Liaoning operated off Taiwan’s main island.

Fujian effectively skipped a step, jumping from a ski-jump ramp for launching aircraft to an electromagnetic catapult system like the US has on its new class of carriers.

A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would extend China’s naval reach.

Nuclear power would allow China to sail for longer times and distances without refueling. Such a capability would be a major step in China’s goals of becoming a “blue-water” navy, like the US, that can operate in waters around the world, projecting power and heightening China’s global military presence.

Nuclear power also frees up space for weaponry and other resources by removing the need to store fuel oil, potentially increasing the ship’s combat capabilities.

That goal is in line with Chinese military ambitions. China has been making rapid advancements across its military, which is operating on deadlines like 2027 to be a modernized military. By mid-century, China hopes to be a world-class military. China recognizes that naval power is a key element of national military power.