Chinese Shipyards to Launch Two EMALS-Equipped Supercarriers in 2021 - Reports

In line with predictions that China would field seven carrier warships by 2025, Chinese shipyards are currently constructing two Type 002 Class supercarriers and a single Type 075 Class assault carrier for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. All ships are expected to be launched within a year, which will provide China with a larger carrier fleet than those of all other countries combined other than the United States. The upcoming warships will follow on from two prior Type 075 Class ships launched over the previous year, and the older Type 001 and Type 001A Class carriers Liaoning and Shandong which are both in frontline service and are much heavier than the assault carriers but lighter than the supercarriers. The Type 002 Class carriers are both being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard near Shanghai, and each is expected to displace approximately 85,000 tons. 

Type 002 Class ships are expected to boast capabilities well ahead of those of any current ship outside the United States and on par with the U.S. Navy’s new supercarrier USS Gerald Ford. The Type 002 design will be slightly lighter than the Ford and will not use nuclear propulsion systems, but it will integrate electromagnetic catapult launch systems (EMALS) allowing its air wings to deploy with a very high payload of fuel and munitions. This is a technology which no navy other than those of China and the United States is expected to field for several years, and one which the U.S. Navy has yet to make fully operational with the USS Gerald Ford suffering continued performance shortcomings and remaining very far from combat ready over three years after it was officially commissioned into service. Use of EMALS will provide the Type 002’s air wing with a signifiant advantage over those of other carrier classes such as the American Nimitz Class ships, which use much older steam powered launch systems, and particularly over non-American carrier classes such as the British Queen Elizabeth Class which, in order to cut costs, have not integrated any kind of catapult launch system whatsoever. 

The Type 002’s lack of nuclear propulsion is not expected to be a serious constraint on its performance, with the warships designed for combat in the Western Pacific to protect Chinese territorial claims and shipping routs against potential Western threats. This means that they do not need the global reach of American supercarriers, which are designed overwhelmingly for power projection in the far seas. It has been reported that the PLA is considering commissioning a nuclear powered successor to the Type 002 which will have a higher endurance and be able to operate in the Indian Ocean and Arctic regions to protect Chinese trade and interests further afield. Reports of accelerated development of China’s Type 002 Class carrier program notably comes as the U.S. Navy suffers two fires on its own carrier warships, one of which may put an American carrier permanently out of commission, and at a time when America is considering implementing major cuts to its carrier fleet.