In recent hours, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) held the launching ceremony for the first of its new Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ships, constructed at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. This 40,000-ton displacement vessel, named Sichuan and bearing the hull number “051,” marks the debut of this new class.
The Type 076 is a next-generation landing helicopter dock (LHD) designed to enhance the force projection capabilities of the PLAN. While based on the design of the earlier Type 075 ships, of which the navy operates four units, its dimensions, displacement, and unique features establish it as an entirely new class. Estimates suggest the Type 076 has a length of 263 meters and a beam of 43 meters, larger than the 232-meter length and 36-meter beam of the Type 075, and even surpassing the dimensions of the U.S. Navy’s America-class LHDs.
Though the exact start date of its construction remains unclear, initial indications appeared in March of this year when aerial images from open-source intelligence (OSINT) revealed the vessel at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard. In subsequent months, additional photos surfaced, showcasing construction progress and highlighting the ship’s impressive size. These details suggest it could become one of the largest vessels ever built by China, second only to its aircraft carriers.
The new Type 076 features a single long electromagnetic catapult on its deck, approximately 100 meters in length, similar to the one on the PLAN’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian. However, this does not imply that the two vessels will deploy the same types of aircraft. While many specifics of the Type 076 remain unknown, the presence of such advanced features suggests that the PLAN may be planning a mixed air wing for this platform, including rotary-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with diverse roles and capabilities.
Regarding the potential air assets for the Type 076, two significant aspects have been observed in recent imagery. First, mock-ups of various helicopters, including the Chinese Z-9, Z-18, Z-20, and the Russian-origin Ka-28/31, were spotted near the dry dock during its construction. Second, recent images indicate a new testing facility for naval drones, further hinting at the ship’s advanced aviation capabilities.
Images from the launching ceremony show that, while labeled as the vessel’s launch, the dry dock has not yet been flooded, a step expected to occur in the coming days. This detail also leaves the timeline for the ship’s harbor trials, sea trials, and systems testing uncertain. Nonetheless, these stages will lead to the Type 076’s eventual delivery to the PLAN and its commissioning in the near future.
Additionally, among the observed features of the Sichuan, viral images from the ceremony reveal the presence of a floodable well deck at the ship’s rear. This feature is designed for the deployment and recovery of various types of landing craft, confirming the vessel’s extensive capabilities, which extend beyond the aviation domain.
The Sichuan also boasts notable defensive systems, primarily focused on point defense. At least three HQ-10 surface-to-air missile launchers are visible—two located at the stern and a third positioned atop the forward island.
Complementing the missile systems are Type 1130 CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) installations, with one located on each side of the hull and an additional unit at the stern. These systems are further augmented by decoy launchers, with four 32-tube systems (two on each side of the hull) visible in the images.
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