China Launches Eighth Aircraft Carrier: How Capable is the New 40,000 Ton Type 76 Class?

<p >The Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on December 27 launched China’s eighth carrier warship and the first ship of the Type 076 Class the Sichuan, which displacing over 40,000 tons may be the heaviest amphibious assault ship in the world. The ship class represents a successor to the 35,000 ton Type 075 Class, of which four were built from 2018, allowing the new vessel to both deploy much larger contingents of amphibious ground units, and to host a much larger air wing made up of drones and helicopters. Unlike the Type 075, the Type 076 is expected to deploy a sizeable air wing of fixed wing aircraft including <a href=" target="_blank">GJ-11 unmanned stealth bombers</a> and WZ-7 long range reconnaissance planes. The development of a range of <a href=" target="_blank">new stealth drone classes</a> raises the significant possibility that these may also see navalised variants integrated into the air wings of the Sichuan and future Type 076 Class ships. The ship has a full length flight decks, multiple large elevators, and an internal hangar to accommodate the operation of long range fixed wing aviation assets, with its twin island configuration also being optimal for such operations. It has been speculated that a vertical landing capable fighter could also be deployed from the ships, mirroring the U.S. Navy’s deployment of F-35B fighters from its America Class carriers. </p><p ></p>