China has confirmed that it's building an aircraft carrier that may be nuclear powered, according to a government document published Friday by the English version of the Global Times, a Chinese daily newspaper. If the carrier is built, it will mean China will have a total of two aircraft carriers, with another five aircraft carriers planned.
"The priority missions of building the aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines have been carried out smoothly and with outstanding achievements," the document states, according to a translation provided by Taiwanese media outlets.
China has long demonstrated its eagerness to manufacture its own aircraft carrier, hoping to build on the relative success of the second-hand ex-Soviet carrier it bought from Ukraine in 1998. While it took almost 15 years to refit and commission the vessel, working on the ex-Soviet Liaoning has been instructive and, as such, lays the groundwork for carriers China builds itself, beginning with the one currently under construction.
India is considering powering its second domestically built aircraft carrier with a nuclear propulsion plant, according to a Tuesday report by news agency Press Trust of India.
The design of the carrier is ongoing and nuclear power is still an option for the carrier, said Director General of Naval Design Bureau, Rear Admiral Atul Saxena, in response to questions from reporters.
India’s first domestically built carrier — the 40,000-ton INS Vikrant currently under construction in Cochin Shipyard in Southern India — will be powered by four General Electric LM-2500 gas turbines.
The second carrier Vishal is planned to be much larger — up to 65,000-tons — and is still in the conceptual design process, Saxena said.
Last year Indian officials said the two major decisions for the carrier were its power supply and launching and recovery methods for the planned Vishnal.
Though more technically complicated in design and construction stages, a nuclear powered carrier provides greater flexibility to commanders once in operation, Eric Wertheim, author of the Naval Institute’s Combat Fleets of the World, told USNI News on Wednesday.
“Nuclear power frees up space,” he said.
“You don’t have to store fuel for your ship onboard.”
Nuclear carriers have more room for ammunition and fuel for aircraft on the ship and shedding the requirement for refueling the ship simplify the logistics of resupplying the carrier at sea.
However, it’s unclear if India can overcome the technical requirements to fielding a nuclear carrier.
