China’s rapid aircraft carrier programme challenges US naval dominance
August 6, 2025
Both China and the United States are betting big on the future of the aircraft carrier. But whereas China’s carriers benefit from being new and tap into a massive shipbuilding industry, America’s programme is hamstrung by an ageing fleet and a diminutive industrial base.
China’s breathtaking massive aircraft carrier program
The speed of the Chinese aircraft carrier development is breathtaking. Since 1985, China has acquired four carriers: the British-built HMAS Melbourne, and the Soviet carriers Minsk, Kiev, and Varyag.
The Soviet/Ukrainian Varyag was later retrofitted and put into service as China’s first aircraft carrier, the Type 001 Liaoning, in 2012.
The Liaoning was then used as the basis for building the improved Type 002 Shandong, commissioned in 2019 – the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier. China then took a massive developmental step to break from old, Soviet designs and indigenously design the larger Type 003 Fujian.
Conventionally-powered Fujian is the first Chinese carrier capable of catapult-assisted take-offs (CATOBAR), something even British carriers can’t do. The Fujian is currently undergoing sea trials.
Next, China is believed to be currently developing and building a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with electromagnetic catapults that will further close the gap between Chinese and American carriers.
Concurrently, China is developing a carrier variant of the Shenyang J-35 fifth-generation fighter jet for its carriers. China also has five amphibious assault ships in service.
The US aircraft carrier woes
The United States needs to maintain a fleet of 11 aircraft carriers, as defined in Section 126 of the FY2006 National Defense Authorization
Act.
But much of the remaining shipbuilding workforce is ageing and retiring. This makes it very difficult for the Navy to build new carriers and sustain its large fleet of older vessels.
According to USNI News, the next carrier, Ford-class USS Kennedy (CVN-79), has been delayed to 2027, and the next ship, the CVN-80 (Enterprise), is not expected until 2030. Meanwhile, the 50-year-old USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is scheduled for decommissioning in May 2026.
From submarines to frigates to carriers, the Navy is struggling to build and maintain its vessels fast enough. Existing vessels get older, keeping ship classes in production for longer (e.g., the Arleigh Burke destroyer), and carriers have their missions extended as the scheduled replacement carrier remains tied up in dock.
Nevertheless, a recent report to Congress showed just how vital the Ford-class carriers are to the Navy.
Does the world still need aircraft carriers?
In the early 1920s, as the first aircraft carriers (like the USS Langley, 1922) were being built, critics argued they were too costly and vulnerable to air attacks. Fast forward to 1942, and five aircraft carriers (four Japanese and one American) were lost in a single day at the Battle of Midway, just a month after two (one Japanese and one American) had been lost at the Coral Sea. And yet, carriers were critical to winning the Pacific War.
Today, the debate over carrier obsolescence continues to rage. For now, the USA, China, UK, France, Italy, India, and even Japan believe they are not obsolete and are betting heavily on carriers.
Frequently, voices saying carriers are obsolete are seeking to diminish the perceived power of the US Navy, or cover for the fact that Russia can’t maintain a single carrier. The country’s seemingly cursed Admiral Kuznetsov now appears to be (finally) destined for the scrapyard.
One of the keystones for the US Navy to keep its carriers safe and relevant is to develop the long-range F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter jet. This would allow the carriers to operate from a much safer distance while still striking deep into enemy territory.
