Why Can China Build More Than Three Aircraft Carriers in the Time It Takes the US to Build One

Описание: China’s Mega-Block Shipbuilding: Reshaping the Efficiency Logic of the Global Shipbuilding Industry

Why Can China Build More Than Three Aircraft Carriers in the Time It Takes the US to Build One?

On January 29, 2026 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), China Central Television (CCTV), in a Lunar New Year special, revealed for the first time a panoramic view of the "Mega-Block Construction" technology at the Jiangnan Shipyard. This seemingly routine technology report was quietly reposted by mainstream media outlets like The Wall Street Journal and *The War Zone*. There were no fierce accusations against China, only a thought-provoking comment: "This is rewriting the rules of marine equipment construction."

No one expected that China, once defined by the West as a hub for "low-end manufacturing," would now master the world's most advanced shipbuilding technology, with a shipbuilding efficiency reportedly over 230 times that of the United States. Even more subversive is the fact that China can build an aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults in just over three years, while the US takes a minimum of 12 years to build a carrier of the same class. This is not an exaggeration, but a calculation based on hard data regarding the number of drydocks, construction technology, and actual construction periods.

The core secret is actually quite simple: "Mega-Block Construction." Put simply, it’s like assembling giant Lego bricks. The "large parts" of the ship are built simultaneously outside the drydock and then transported into the dock for precise splicing. This completely breaks the traditional shipbuilding deadlock of "waiting in line for the drydock." Even more impressive is that China can manufacture mega-blocks weighing up to 3,000 tons, whereas South Korea can max out at roughly 1,000 tons. Furthermore, our docking precision reaches the millimeter level. Next, let’s use data and case studies to deconstruct this silent shipbuilding revolution and discuss: Why, according to traditional Western industrial theory, should none of this have happened?