nang2
Registered Member
Picture orientation should be consistent. Some pictures have the bow at the left side while others at the right side.
Chinese Aircraft Carriers - Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian and the future
- Thread starter SiliconBit (silicon0000)
- Start date
Beijingwalker
VIP Member
China's Aircraft Carrier Fleet Is Catching Up to US Faster Than Expected
Jul 14, 2026Three aircraft carriers. Electromagnetic catapults. Stealth fighters launching from a flight deck for the first time in Chinese history.
The Chinese Navy's carrier fleet has never looked like this before — and 2026 is the year everything changed.
In this video, we break down why the fleet is more powerful than ever: how the new 80,000-ton Fujian and its electromagnetic launch system compare to the older Liaoning and Shandong, what the J-35 stealth fighter and KJ-600 early warning aircraft bring to the flight deck, and what it takes to run three carriers at once — from crews and pilots to the dry docks that keep them at sea.
You're watching Navy Life China — rare inside looks at one of the most secretive navies on the planet. The ships, the sailors, and the systems that keep them running. No hype, no politics.
Beijingwalker
VIP Member
China building world's largest naval replenishment ship to boost carrier operations
Jul 19, 2026, 11:20 ISTChina is building what defence analysts believe could become the world's largest naval replenishment ship, a move that would significantly strengthen the People's Liberation Army Navy's ability to sustain aircraft carrier strike groups during long-range deployments.
According to The War Zone (TWZ), the satellite imagery of the vessel under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) appears to be larger China's existing Type 901 fast combat support ships.
The PLA navy currently operates two Type 901 fast combat support ships, Hulunhu and Chaganhu. With the length of around 240 metres, it has a displacement of around 45,000 tonnes at full load.Replenishment ship or fast combat support ship, is a naval auxiliary vessel that supplies warships with fuel, ammunition, aviation fuel, food, fresh water, spare parts and other essential stores while they remain at sea.
The ship is being built at a yard on Longxue Island, which is situated just southeast of the city of Guangzhou. A subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) operates this facility.
That firm is currently known as the CSSC Offshore and Marine Engineering Company (COMEC).COMEC/GSI’s public portfolio is focused on large commercial vessels, including oil and liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers and cargo ships.
In recent years, the yard has become well known for the construction of unique and unusual vessels with clear military or at least dual-purpose applications.
Based on the satellite imagery, the ship appears to be approximately 885 feet (270 meters) long and 121 feet (37 meters) wide. There is a superstructure at the bow end with clear wings for a large bridge and a mast on top. There is also a separate superstructure at the stern end with exhaust stacks situated in front of it.
The ship’s design language also follows modern PLAN standards. Its layout, in broad strokes, is very similar to that of the Type 901 replenishment ship in PLAN service now. The PLAN also operates smaller Type 903 replenishment ships.
Replenishment ships are a critical part of any blue-water navy. They enable aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and submarines to operate for extended periods far from home ports, increasing a navy's operational reach and endurance.
Modern replenishment ships are equipped with multiple transfer stations, allowing them to refuel and resupply more than one ship simultaneously.
US navy operates the world's largest and most capable combat logistics fleet through its Military Sealift Command. Its largest replenishment ships are the Supply-class fast combat support ships (T-AOE), which displace about 48,500 tonnes at full load.
By comparison, the Indian navy's largest replenishment vessels are the Deepak-class fleet tankers, each displacing around 28,000 tonnes at full load. India is also building five new fleet support ships.
If the vessel's estimated size is confirmed, it would surpass the US navy's 48,500-tonne Supply-class fast combat support ships to become the world's largest replenishment ship.
The project reflects China's broader effort to strengthen the logistics backbone of the PLA navy as it expands carrier operations farther from its shores.
China building world's largest naval replenishment ship to boost carrier operations - The Times of India
International News: China is building what defence analysts believe could become the world's largest naval replenishment ship, a move that would significantly strengthen .
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
ChillVein
Registered Member
From 2016 to 2026, over the decade, the total tonnage of China's main warships launched will approach 1.9 million tons, roughly twice that of the United States in the same period.055-type 13,,000-ton large destroyers and nuclear aircraft carriers will enter mass production; the United States can only continue to refit aging Burke-class destroyers, with shipbuilding capacity steadily shrinking.It must be objectively acknowledged: The U.S. Navy's accumulated stock advantage, built over decades, will still exist in the short term. But the ongoing gap in shipbuilding increments is slowly reshaping the maritime power structure. In the end, maritime competition boils down to a contest of a nation's comprehensive industrial strength.
As China shifts focus from smaller patrol and missile craft to heavy blue-water capital ships, the total cumulative tonnage gap between the two navies is rapidly narrowing.
ChineseTiger1986
Registered Member
The Type 005 will likely have some upgrade design based on the Type 004.
So it won't be that fast.
BlueMarlin
Registered Member
Any idea, when we will see it for the first time?
ChineseTiger1986
Registered Member
The Type 005 currently is probably about the state of the Type 004 back in 2021-2022, just order the military grade steel structure in the early 2026.
The Type 004 had ordered many critical components for the catapults and elevators back in summer 2023. And let's see by next year, if we can see that the Type 005 will be doing the same.
I guess the modules of Type 005 could be appeared in 2030 just like the Type 004 module first appeared in 2025.
Some military observers in China expect that the Type 004 to be launched by end of 2027, to start the sea trial by the end of 2029, then to be commissioned by the end of 2031.
Basically by 2032, the progress of the Type 005 should be parallel to the Type 004 that we are observing now.
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ChineseTiger1986
Registered Member
The Type 004 could be very likely launched in the fall of 2027, and it would be very surprising if the Type 005 can be launched in 2030.
BTW, Jiangnan joins the Huludao to build the Type 095A was already quite shocking, and maybe it could exceed our expectation on the timeline of the Type 005.
We all need to do is to keep observing the incoming tender announcements published by the Jiangnan shipyard regarding the critical components for the Type 005.
ety
Trusted Member
How many 004 are they going to build ? 1 or 2 ?
