China’s Fourth Aircraft Carrier Type 004
Updated 8th March 2026
In 2023, my article displayed a satellite image of an aircraft carrier at Jiangnan shipyard and asked the question: “Is this China’s fourth aircraft carrier Type 004 under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxing Island, Shanghai?” Was it, and what’s the latest news on the Type 004 aircraft carrier?
The satellite image (pictured below) appears to show two different aircraft carriers at Jiangnan shipyard, China. It was taken as a screenshot from Google Maps (Google.com) in January 2023, and was believed to show both the Type 003 and Type 004 carriers. Expert sources in the US informed me, that an analysis of the image shows it to be a digital composite of two images: the lower right corner showing Fujian aircraft carrier Type 003 from August 2022, and the upper left corner showing an earlier image of the same Type 003 from December 2021. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Google.com image is a deepfake. Type 004 was not under construction at that time at Jiangnan shipyard and neither was a fourth carrier.
Pictured below are authentic images of the Fujian Type 003 at Jiangnan shipyard.
Launched on the 17th June 2022, the Type 003 Fujian was the first of China’s new generation of larger aircraft carriers for fixed-wing aircraft with catapult-assisted (CATOBAR). The ship is of domestic design, being equipped with three advanced Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS), thus providing a major leap in naval capability. This system enables the launch of heavier, fully loaded and more diverse aircraft including the J-15T, J-35 stealth fighters, and KJ-600 early warning planes.
Fujian Type 003 pennant number CV-18, is China’s third aircraft carrier and was commissioned on 5th November 2025, at a ceremony in Sanya, Hainan. The first two aircraft carriers are respectively the Liaoning Type 001 pennant number CV-16, and the Shandong Type 002 pennant number CV-17 (headline image above).
So what is the latest news on the Type 004 construction? In the last few weeks there has been considerable discussion both on websites and on social media about the warship.; There are some numerous unclear images and AI-generated imagery that claim to be the Chinese aircraft carrier Type 004, or separate ship compartments, under construction at the Dalian shipyard, Liaoning province.
This week, there have been further claims that the Type 004 keel was laid down in late February 2026, at the Dalian shipyard. As of 8th March 2026 there are no verified images of the Type 004 available. However, it is interesting to speculate that increased discussions about the Type 004 might suggest constructional activity and development news, not yet available in the public domain?
What we do know is that China’s aircraft carrier Type 004 is planned. In December 2025 the US Defense Department claimed that China was planning on constructing six Type 004 to be built before 2035. That they will most likely be nuclear powered with twin pressurized water reactors, with an estimated power output of 450 to 500 megawatts of thermal power. Type 004 will be larger than the Fujian Type 003, with an estimated full-load displacement of 110,000 to 120,000 tons being possibly larger than the US Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.
It is interesting to speculate on a possible name for the first Type 004 aircraft carrier when it is eventually launched? China’s three aircraft carriers have been named after provinces of China (PRC): Type 001 Liaoning, Type 002 Shandong and Type 003 Fujian. The province names Jiangsu, Guangxi and Zhejiang have already been used as ship names: the first on a bulk carrier (Jiangsu), the second on a Type 075 amphibious assault ship (Guangxi) and the third on a container ship (SITC Zhejiang). A possible name for the new PLA Navy aircraft carrier could be Guangdong. Guangdong is a coastal province of significant economic and geopolitical importance. China’s new aircraft carrier Type 004 could possibly be named Guangdong?
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