DALIAN — Construction on China's Type 004 aircraft carrier was underway at the Dalian Shipyard in northern China as of February 17, 2026. Satellite imagery and analysis confirmed ongoing work through May 2026, with the vessel’s hull clearly taking shape.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report in May 2026 indicating that China is constructing its fourth aircraft carrier, the Type 004, at the Dalian Shipyard. Prefabricated hull blocks for the ship first appeared in early 2025 and had evolved into a recognizable carrier hull by May 2026, according to the CSIS report.

Satellite images from May 2026 showed the Type 004 hull measuring approximately 286 meters long and 46 meters wide. The hull is larger than China's Fujian carrier was at a comparable stage of construction. Evidence strongly indicates the Type 004 may be nuclear-powered, based on two large compartments believed to house reactor containment systems, the CSIS report stated.

The Type 004 will likely feature electromagnetic catapults, possibly four instead of three, according to the CSIS analysis. Earlier findings linked China’s 701st Research Institute to a land-based naval reactor prototype, supporting the assessment that the new carrier may use nuclear propulsion.

China’s carrier program evolved from refurbishing the Soviet-era Varyag into the Liaoning, to building the Shandong, then the conventionally powered Fujian with catapults, and now to a nuclear-powered design with the Type 004. The Fujian carrier was laid down in 2016 and launched in 2022, indicating a six-year construction timeline, according to Eric Wertheim in a March 2026 article in Proceedings. If the Fujian’s timeline is a precedent, the Type 004 could be launched in 2032, Wertheim wrote.

The Type 004 represents a milestone in China’s military modernization and its ambition to field a nine-carrier fleet by 2035.