China’s latest amphibious warship is designed to take sea-to-land assaults to the next level – a vessel capable of launching fighters and fixed-wing drones like never before.
The new-generation Type 076 assault ship will feature an advanced electromagnetic catapult launch system, allowing a wider variety of aircraft to take off more frequently during an amphibious attack.
The flat-top vessel will serve as a fleet command centre that will enable drones, helicopters, fighters and landing craft to approach an adversary’s coast.
Its unprecedented size, launch ability and expected drone transport role will position it as a light, regionally based aircraft carrier that can be deployed to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
First for an assault ship
The Sichuan, which was first spotted on satellite images in 2023, was officially launched as the first Type 076 ship in December with the hull number 51.
The vessel is undergoing equipment tests, mooring and sea trials, and is expected to be commissioned by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by the end of 2026.
The warship is an upgrade over China’s first amphibious assault ship – the Type 075 – which was launched in 2019 and went into service 19 months later.
The most notable advances are the electromagnetic catapult and arresting gears, which are similar to what was installed on China’s first-ever catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
China was the second country after the United States to deploy an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), but this is the first time such a system has been installed on an amphibious assault ship.
According to the February issue of Chinese military magazine Weapons Engineering Technology, the electromagnetic catapult is about half the size of traditional ski jumps on aircraft carriers and is designed to save about 35 per cent on operation and maintenance manpower.
The catapult speed can also be adjusted between 100 and 370km/h (62 and 230mph) to launch “not only fighters weighing more than 30 tonnes but also small-sized drones that are a few hundred kilograms”, it said.
Smaller carriers, larger planes
The US and Japanese navies have operated F-35B stealth fighters from their amphibious warships. The PLA does not have vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft such as the F-35B, but it is incorporating a more efficient launching system to support a variety of aircraft.
This will allow not only helicopters, but also advanced crewed fighters, like the PLA’s ship-borne J-15T and J-35B, and heavyweight combat drones, like the GJ-11, to be launched and recovered on the ship in an area the size of a helicopter dock.
The GJ-11 is expected to be deployed on the ship as it appeared in the ship’s crest design. The aircraft mock-ups were also spotted in the same shipyard where the Sichuan was built.
Manufactured by Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, the GJ-11 is designed for precision strikes and aerial reconnaissance missions. The stealth aircraft features a tailless flying wing and two internal weapons bays for a likely role as a “loyal wingman” of fighter jets.
The open deck design has led to speculation that the vessel could be capable of launching waves of smaller-sized drones.
China is ramping up spending on drone development with an emphasis on unmanned systems, and the Type 076 is believed to be China’s first carrier where unmanned aerial vehicles were integrated in its initial design.
Countries including Turkey and Iran have acquired their own “drone carriers” as unmanned assets are increasingly used in operations.
South Korea also unveiled a next-generation drone carrier concept in May with no island superstructure but two separate operational zones.
According to military news site Army Recognition, the ship deck would consist of an open launch and recovery area aft for fixed-wing drones and a recessed forward section potentially dedicated to VTOL drone operations.
Turkey – an experienced drone maker – commissioned the TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship in 2023 to launch and land combat drones.
Earlier this year, Iran’s navy repurposed a container ship and commissioned the Shahid Beheshti with a similar ski-jump system.
Largest of its kind
The hull of the Sichuan is around 260 metres (853 feet) long while the expansive flight deck is about 52 metres wide, considerably wider than a Type 075 or its American counterparts.
At more than 40,000 tonnes, it has a slightly larger displacement than Type 075 ships and about half that of the Fujian.
According to satellite images obtained last year by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the catapult trench of the Type 076 was estimated to be about 130 metres long, compared to the Fujian’s catapult trenches, which are around 110 metres long.
But later satellite images circulating on Chinese social media suggested that there might be two catapults: one more than 70 metres long and another about 50 metres long, which would allow for more frequent take-offs.
The vessel also features a unique twin-island configuration, likely separating command control of sea navigation from air defence and traffic control.
Versatile assets
An internal hangar is situated under the flight deck, with an aircraft elevator on each side of the vessel. There is also a floodable well deck at the stern of the vessel for the launch of amphibious vehicles.
Munitions on the vessel include three sets of HQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missiles, as well as at least two Type 1130 naval Gatling guns, according to a notional illustration by Chinese military magazine Modern Ships in January. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
