The report shows that the new Type-076 ship shows PLA progress

• Authors: Chen Chih-cheng and Jake Chung / staff reporter, with staff writer

China’s newest Type-076 amphibious assault ship has two strengths and weaknesses, a Taiwanese defense expert wrote, adding that further observations of its capabilities are warranted.

Jiang Hsin-biao (江炘杓), research assistant at the National Defense and Security Research, made his comments in the institute’s recently released report on the military and political development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

China has christened its new attack ship Sichuan during a ceremony held on December 27 last year at the Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

Photo: EPA-EFE

“The ship, described by the (U.S. think tank) Center for Strategic and International Studies as the world’s largest amphibious assault ship, gives China’s navy more air power as the Asian nation faces flashpoints in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait,” Bloomberg reported on December 27 .

Since 2017, China has continued to develop its amphibious assault capabilities, resulting in the construction of the Type-075 Hainan and the newest Type-076 ship Sichuan, Jiang said.

The Sichuan is best known for being equipped with an electromagnetic catapult and three arresting cables, enabling the transfer and launch of fixed-wing aircraft.

Jiang said that, along with armed helicopters and drones, this equipment gives the ship greater versatility in aerial power projection.

The ship’s ability to perform multiple roles – anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, stand-off attacks on land targets and amphibious assaults – serves to enhance the naval power projection of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, he said.

However, while the electromagnetic catapult and fixed-wing launch capability enhance the ship’s anti-access/area denial capabilities, the effectiveness of its takeoff and landing operations will be impacted because the landing and takeoff areas overlap, the report said.

The report added that assisted landing and arrest systems remain inferior compared to those on aircraft carriers.

China is developing its navy’s amphibious warfare capabilities and is trying to create a combat system similar to the U.S. joint all-domain command and control framework, which aims to increase military effectiveness by integrating operations across all domains of warfare.

The Sichuan the ship crosses Hainan in terms of tonnage and when fully equipped, it is expected to displace 50,000 tons of water and has 13,000 m2 of deck space – we read in the report.

Powered by two gas turbines, the ship will reach speeds comparable to those of Chinese aircraft carriers, and its two-island design allows it to help guide aircraft carriers, he said.