The type 003 carrier will be the latest and best carrier in Chinese service. It is expected to carry the latest J-35 fighter, China's answer to the f-35c Lightning II. The J-35 is a twin-engine aircraft, however. A characteristic associated with naval operations

China's aircraft carriers are a growing part of China's blue-water navy ambitions. A new carrier, the Type 003, has been launched. It is similar in size to the U.S. navy's Ford and Nimitz class supercarriers. This is the first non-US carrier in the world to even come close.

China has launched its largest and most impressive aircraft carrier to date. The type 003 carrier rivals U.S. Navy carriers in size, the first non-American carrier to do so.

Ten years after China commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the type 003 Fujian will further expand and mature the Chinese navy's capabilities. It is part of a transition to a true-blue water navy that will operate globally and, if necessary, in the Pacific.

Part of a slogan written on the ship for the launch visible in satellite imagery has been translated as 'to build a strong and modern navy and provide strong support for the realization of the Chinese dream of a strong military.'

To realize the party's goal of strengthening the army in the new era and building the people's liberation army into a world-class army in an all-around way. It is important to note that the Chinese navy, known as the PLA navy, is a branch of the PLA army.

The type 003 is comparable in size to the U.S. Navy's Nimitz and Ford classes, and its design is similar in many ways. At the same time, it is an evolution of the first two Chinese navy carriers. These were built on Soviet technology.

The first type 001, Liaoning cv16, is the former Kiznet service class carrier variant. The then unfinished ship was sold to China as scrap in 1998, where it was completed and entered Chinese service in 2012. The second carrier type, the Shandong CV17, is a locally built ship.

It features many small improvements over the first boat but is equivalent overall. The most visible difference between types 003 and 004 is the switch from ski jumps to catapults. The older carriers launched aircraft under their power from a ramp at the front of the flight deck.

The type 003 will have three catapults like the U.S. Navy carriers. By coming late to the game, Chinese designers benefit from decades of research and development by others, bypassing intermediate steps. The new carrier incorporates much of the latest thinking, like the U.S. navy's Ford-class carrier.

The catapults will be electromagnetic aircraft launch systems. This uses electricity rather than traditional steam, which should provide some benefits. The system takes up less room and should be able to launch aircraft at a higher rate.

At the same time, we should not dismiss the lessons learned by the Chinese navy. They have operated aircraft carriers for ten years and have developed training procedures and infrastructure.

At the same time, China is building up its infrastructure to support the carriers. The naval bases at Sonja and Yulin on Hainan in the South China Sea are being expanded. A massive new drydock big enough for an aircraft carrier has been built there, and nearby Lingari air base, which hosts the carrier's aircraft when they are in port, is being upgraded.

There is an increase in aircraft carrier capabilities worldwide. The U.S. Navy still has a massive lead, but China will take the second spot in terms of numbers and size. It faces competition, though. Britain has revived its once pioneering capability, and France is building a newer carrier in the same league as the Chinese ones. China may not be finished with three. 

Currently, only America and France have nuclear-powered carriers. Defense analysts are expecting a Chinese nuclear-powered carrier to replace Type 003. The new carrier's significance is not the incremental improvements over earlier ones. Having three carriers will give the Chinese navy greater power projection capabilities.

As a blue-water fleet, China can deploy its carrier battle groups with greater frequency. It will also be able to bring multiple carrier battle groups to bear on a situation. This may have tactical and strategic relevance.

Andreas Ruppert, a defense expert and author of several books on the Chinese military, noted that such large carriers were, until now, exclusively for the U.S. navy. It is the next major step in exploring new capabilities and gaining a lot of experience over the next year. 

The PLA is well aware that it has barely ten years of operations. It is in no way comparable to the USN's knowledge and understanding. But anyone who wants to walk has to start crawling, which is what type 003 is for. The Type 004 aircraft carrier is a planned aircraft carrier for the People's Liberation Army navy's aircraft carrier program.

Unlike the conventionally powered type 003, the type 004 will be larger and the first Chinese carrier to feature marine nuclear propulsion and could generate enough electricity to power laser weapons and railguns currently under development.

The type 004 would likely carry a complement of J-15 and J-31 fighters, Zeon KJ-600 airborne early warning and control aircraft, anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force, and stealth attack drones.

It was previously suggested that the aircraft carrier could carry J-20 aircraft. However, in a program on China's central television, PLA navy rear admiral Zhang Jiashong dismissed the possibility that the aircraft would be used on aircraft carriers as the aircraft were not structurally designed to cope with carrier operations.

In addition, it does not have folding wings for compact storage, and its stealth coating would be susceptible to degradation at sea. China's central government will reportedly spend RM 22 billion (U.S. 3.3 billion dollars) on developing two prototype molten salt nuclear reactors to be built at Huawei in Gansu province. The PLA navy is interested in technology to power its warships and aircraft carriers.