After the Type 003 Fujian, the Type 004 flat top will be nuclear-capable, and F-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighters will be deployed when it is operational. When the nuclear-equipped carrier goes online, it will equal the Gerald Ford-class carrier. The Type 004 will have the F-31 just like the F-35 on US light carriers and supercarriers; carrier-based planes to add in its capabilities.
Chinese Carriers Threaten US Dominance
The upcoming flattop will be an 80-85,000 ton class that will allow the Chinese navy to operate for months at sea; it will become a blue water nation, reported EurAsian Times.
Atomic propulsion on the 80-85,000 ton-class warship will make China the first to have a carrier that can stay out at sea for months, ticking at least the technological box of a true-blue water nation.
China bypassed the Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system on the 'Fujian,' instead simply choosing an Electromagnetic Launch System (EMALS) from the Short Take-Off but Arrested Landing (STOBAR) ski-jump used on Liaoning and Shandong, cited NDTV.
A ski jump is used for STOBAR under the power of the jets, with CATOBAR steam-powered catapult allowing more equipment. EMALS uses magnets to push the plane forward and faster.
It will take ten years for the Chinese navy to develop more. China would not handle more than four carriers compared to the US Navy's 11, which has a 3000-plane naval air arm that rivals most air forces.
With more ammunition with less fuel and equipped with nuclear power for EMALS and lasers as advanced capabilities, this flat top will have space-age weapons like lasers that can defend against ballistic missiles (BMD) and counter satellite weapons (ASAT) if the Central Military Commission (CMC) thinks it will be useful. They will take off the defensive load of other ships.
It's similar to how the Aegis combat systems on certain Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, combined with the Standard Missile series, can be used as Direct Ascent weapons to destroy spacecraft in addition to their main role as long-range surface-to-air missiles.
This warship will be nuclear-powered, as confirmed in 2019, built by Chinese contractors to develop these power plants on the aircraft carrier. Other nuke power ships in the PLAN are the Type 091, Type 093, and Type 095 subs.
The fourth Chinese carrier will have to control towers with a reduced profile compared to the Type 003, without chimneys. A small island or control tower means more planes on the flight deck.
Chinese FC-31 Stealth Fighter
The Gyrfalcon will be on the fourth Chinese aircraft carrier, a fifth-generation jet, and a platform for new material and flight technologies. It has been under trial on false carrier decks, with photos leaked in June 2021 mentioning SCMP.
The FC-31 and J-15 Flying Shark are seen in the images parked on a mock-up carrier deck; they might be used for the PLAN. It had no other choice because PLAN Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong had disallowed the stealth J-20 from ever being used from a carrier since its design and parts were solely planned for use on land.
The main disadvantage is that it can't fold its wings to fit into the cramped hangar below it and the small space on the flight deck. Its tests and breakthroughs will likely have correlated over the prior two to three years by the time it is introduced.
The Type 004 flat top, when deployed, will be the most advanced warship of its kind in service with the PLAN, with FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighters.
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