Beijing’s naval ambitions are becoming increasingly evident.

It already has more operational submarines than the United States. And it’s pumping out new frigates, destroyers and cruisers at a much greater rate than anyone else.

China’s new cruisers and destroyers also represent enormous technological leaps, dramatically closing the gap with Western navies.

But Beijing’s long had its heart set on the “A-league” of gunboat diplomacy — joining the small club of nations capable of fielding fully-fledged aircraft carriers. Such ships project international power and influence like nothing else.

The exact form of China’s third aircraft carrier is as yet unknown.

But we can already see it will be different from its existing ex-Soviet Type 001 Liaoning and the as-yet-unnamed Type001a. That much is evident from the rapid construction of a new, expanded dockyard facility capable of launching much larger ships.

Now satellite photographs reveal a new aircraft carrier — Type 002 — is being assembled even as its dock is built around it.

PRYING EYES

The Washington-based think-tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has released an analysis of new photographs of the next-generation ship.

Its existence was only formally acknowledged by Beijing in November last year, when the state-run news agency Xinhua made mention of its construction.

A commercial satellite belonging to Maxar Technologies captured fresh activity when it passed over the Jiangnan Shipyard on Changxing Island last month. This is one of China’s biggest and most important ports, sitting at the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai.

It’s been pumping out Type 052D destroyers and Type 055 cruisers, along with support vessels such as assault ships, ice breakers and surveillance ships.

“There is evidence of a large vessel being assembled and a floodable basin being constructed,” the CSIS report states.

“It would appear that it is the third carrier, and if it is not, it’s hard to envisage what other large vessel it would be,” CSIS analyst Matthew Funaiole told Reuters.

It is almost certainly what the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has previously referred to as the “Type 002”.

TYPE 002 DECONSTRUCTED

The pictures are not perfect.

There are a few tufts of cloud distorting what lays beneath.

But what can be seen has given military analysts something to think about.

A new tower crane has been positioned in what appears to be an enormous assembly facility. A new large dry-dock or floodable ship-basin appears to be in the process of being dug. And a seawall with sluicegates will link the facility to the port’s main river.

Scattered among the new infrastructure are what can only be components of a ship.

What appears to be a tapering bow section sits in plain sight. It is still under construction.

Components of the main hull are partly obscured by cloud, but it appears to be about 40m wide.

“Also visible at the new assembly facility are several prefabricated sections. These sections are laid out on the ground adjacent to the hull assembly and distributed on the surrounding road network,” the report states.

All signs point to the construction of a new design aircraft carrier, one that is significantly bigger than those already in China’s inventory.

INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

“Various unofficial reports speculate that the conventionally-powered Type 002 will be larger than its predecessors and will feature an electromagnetic catapult launch system,” the CSIS report reads. “The carrier is projected to be operational by 2022.”

It’s an expectation mirrored by the Pentagon.

In its Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2019, issued earlier this month, it speculated the ship would be large and feature a full suite of advanced aircraft carrier technology.

It “will likely be larger and fitted with a catapult launch system. This design will enable it to support additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early-warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations,” the report reads.

Estimates place the Type 002’s size as being some 80,000 to 85,000 tons.

That’s still somewhat less than the 100,000 ton leviathans in service with the United States.

But it’s much bigger than Britain’s new HMS Queen Elizabeth or France’s Charles de Gaulle.

It’s also more than large enough to be an “A-league” CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery) ship.

“This design will enable it to support additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early-warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations,” the Pentagon report states.

It is not known if Type 002 will be nuclear powered, as are its US and French equivalents. China, however, does have such technology. Its most recent attack and ballistic missile submarines have nuclear power plants.

“Once completed, it will outclass any warship from any Asian country, including India and Japan,” said Singapore-based security analyst Ian Storey, of the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, told Reuters. “It is yet another indication that China has emerged as Asia’s paramount naval power.”

POWER GAMES

The Pentagon report into the Chinese military says it “continues to develop into a global force, gradually extending its operational reach beyond East Asia into a sustained ability to operate at increasingly longer ranges. … In particular, China’s aircraft carrier and planned follow-on carriers, once operational, will extend air defence coverage beyond the range of coastal and shipboard missile systems and will enable task group operations at increasingly longer ranges.

“Furthermore, the PLAN now has a sizeable force of high-capability logistic replenishment ships to support long-distance, long-duration deployments, including two new ships being built specifically to support aircraft carrier operations.”

At the moment, only the United States and France can truly claim to be members of the aircraft carrier club.

They possess large nuclear-powered ships with extensive angled flight decks fitted with catapults and arresting wires capable of launching and landing heavy fixed-wing aircraft.

China’s two existing aircraft carriers, like those of the United Kingdom, India, Spain and others, belong to a ‘second league’. They only operate up to 25 aircraft. They have conventional powerplants. They also feature less-effective but prominent ski-ramps instead of catapults that can launch only lightweight combat jets.

Britain’s new HMS Queen Elisabeth and Prince of Wales, and Spain’s Príncipe de Asturias and Juan Carlos, can only operate helicopters and small Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft such as the F-35B and Harrier.

China’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, is a refitted former Soviet “heavy aircraft cruiser” bought from Ukraine in 2002. Originally purchased under the pretence of being turned into a floating casino, the ship instead reappeared in 2012 as a fully operational training carrier. Its first homegrown aircraft carrier, Type 001a, was built to a facsimile design and launched last year.

Both operate between 16 and 25 aircraft, along with anti-submarine and rescue helicopters.

Chinese military commentators have said in state-run media that Beijing plans to have at least six aircraft carriers to give it the ability to project naval power deep into the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

The United States operates 11, and these are divided between the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian and Pacific Oceans according to need and availability.

@JamieSeidelNews