Nimitz dwarfs China’s Liaoning in size, power and carrier operations

The article compares the US Navy’s USS Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, with China’s Liaoning, commissioned in 2012, to illustrate the differing maturity of their carrier forces. Nimitz’s displacement of about 112,020 short tons, crew of roughly 6,000 and two nuclear reactors give it virtually unlimited range, four steam catapults and the ability to field over 70 aircraft, including F-35C fighters and E-2D early-warning planes.

Liaoning, rebuilt from an unfinished Soviet hull, displaces about 60,900 short tons, relies on conventional steam turbines, uses a ski-jump STOBAR launch method and carries around 40 aircraft centered on J-15 fighters and helicopters. The analysis stresses that catapult launch and nuclear power grant Nimitz superior operational flexibility, endurance and airborne radar coverage, while China’s platform serves as an experimental step toward more advanced ships such as Fujian and the forthcoming Type 004. Despite the gap, the author notes China’s determination to narrow it.