China’s reported move to construct a nuclear aircraft carrier signals that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is reaching an inflexion point in its carrier development programme, where endurance, reach, and permanence have become crucial elements. Although PLAN’s newest commissioned carrier, CNS Fujian, marks a substantial leap in aviation and carrier technology, it is conventionally powered, propelled by fossil fuel that limits its on-station endurance to two to three weeks, keeping it tethered to a vulnerable logistical tail. Consequently, these carriers will face constraints if PLAN extends its operations beyond China’s near seas and even to parts of the Western Pacific. For Beijing’s ‘far seas protection’ objective—especially to operate in the Indian Ocean and beyond—the nuclear carriers are an essential capability. Therefore, two questions emerge here that will shape this discourse: How quickly can China integrate nuclear propulsion, the electromagnetic launch system (EMALS), and carrier aviation into a coherent naval strategy? How should regional navies, especially the Indian Navy, prepare for this eventuality?
China’s Nuclear Carrier Aspirations and Strategic Impact (Atul Kumar – Observer Research Foundation)
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