At the beginning of March, a series of photographs revealed the construction of a new Amphibious Assault Ship for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China. Although preliminary analyses indicated the presence of a new variant of the Type 075 class, later data has shown that Chinese shipyards are constructing a new class of LHD-type ship larger than those observed so far. Provisionally named “Type 076,” this new vessel promises to be among the largest ships built by the Asian Giant. Thanks to recent satellite photographs, it was revealed the rapid pace at which it is taking shape in the shipyards located on Changxing Island, Shanghai.
Called the Type 076 class in the West, also designated as the “Yulan” class by U.S. military, the new LHD-type amphibious assault ship is one of the largest vessels constructed by China. Its size would place it between the Type 075 class and the new Fujian aircraft carrier.
As we noted in March, “it is expected to have a length of 252.3 meters and a beam of 45 meters, surpassing the 232 meters in length and 36 meters in beam of the current Type 075. However, the differences do not end there, as reports since 2020 indicate that the intention of the People’s Liberation Army Navy is to equip these ships with electromagnetic catapult systems to operate an Embarked Air Group composed of UAVs.”
However, thanks to the recent viralized satellite images, more precise dimensions can be obtained, which would be 263 meters in length and 43 meters in beam, with a displacement between 35,000 and 40,000 tons. For comparison, the Fujian aircraft carrier has a length of 316 meters and a beam of 84 meters.
Additionally, following specialist analysis, The War Zone indicated that the new images reveal details in its construction and differences compared to the Type 075 class. On the port side of the ship, a space can be seen that could be dedicated to an aircraft elevator, which is not present on the Type 075 class, along with another elevator in the center of the stern, a feature shared by both classes.
Unfortunately, the obtained images do not allow for more detailed observations, leaving room only for speculation about the future capabilities and characteristics of the new Type 076 class. What is clear is that China’s naval industry not only shows great progress in the speed of military ship construction but also in its high degree of sophistication, incorporating incremental improvements from one design to the next.
However, a question has begun to arise within these hypotheses formulated by specialists, generated by the lack of visibility of the final shape of the Type 076’s bow. The speculation is whether this class could have a Sky Jump-type ramp as seen on several amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers in service. This would also represent a commitment to which capacity the class would focus on, whether on embarked air operations or amphibious operations. Awaiting new images, there is only room to speculate on the final shape that the bow of the new amphibious assault ship of the People’s Liberation Army Navy will take.
*Photographs and conceptual images: credits to whom it may concern.
You may also like: The Chinese Navy’s Fujian aircraft carrier began its second sea trial amid tensions with Taiwan
