The Chinese Navy's Carrier Fleet Is About To Grow Fast - Here's How Many Ships Will Be Built

As anyone familiar with aircraft carriers likely knows, the United States Navy is the most powerful carrier-equipped blue-water navy in the world. As of writing, the U.S. maintains a fleet of 11 active aircraft carriers, which doesn't include its nine amphibious assault ships, which are different from aircraft carriers. The People's Republic of China is in hot pursuit of matching the U.S.' naval might, leading the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to quickly construct its own fleet of supercarriers.

The PLAN has three carriers, one of which is a converted former Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. The other two are newer designs in line with China's goal to field a total of nine aircraft carriers by 2035. That's according to a report from the Defense Department detailing China's interests in an effort to build up its forces to make it a near-peer rival of the United States. While China operates three amphibious assault carriers, its aim is to deploy nine aircraft carriers, which won't match the U.S.' naval numeric might, but it will get it close.

Additionally, most of the U.S.' carrier fleet is composed of older Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. These are being replaced by the newly developed Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, which are the most advanced in the world. While the U.S.' carriers have a 50-year service life, they are completely refitted and modernized at the 25-year mark. Still, anything newly developed by China has the potential to hit the water with more advanced tech, a larger supply of hypersonic missiles, and more, which is why the DoD is taking notice of China's efforts.

While China is notoriously fast at constructing everything from buildings to bombers, its goal of fielding an additional six aircraft carriers by 2035 is going to be a challenge. Modern nuclear carriers, whether they're American or Chinese, take a long time to construct, test, and place into operation. The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) has finally entered its sea trials in January 2026, and it's expected to be officially commissioned in 2027. It began construction in 2015, so that's a full 12 years from laying down its keel to commissioning.

The Chinese aircraft carrier Type 003 "Fujian" is the most advanced of China's carriers, and it was first laid down in 2017. While it was commissioned in 2025, gaining two years on the U.S.' latest carrier, it doesn't seem likely that China will be able to complete six more by 2035. That said, the more China builds its carriers, the faster it's likely to produce them, as it developed the Type 003 and forthcoming Type 004 after decades of research and experimentation.

The DoD's annual report to Congress doesn't detail how China might go about building its remaining desired carriers. The Type 004 carrier will likely take to the sea sometime in the late 2020s, and it's unclear if China is developing any additional carriers at this time. According to the DoD's report, the PLAN is interested in building a total of six Type 004 carriers, which will be larger than the USS Gerald R. Ford, and could push the PLAN into new heights as a global naval superpower.