China Successfully Tested Type 076 Sichuan Amphibious Assault Ship

JAKARTA - Less than a year since its launch, China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult, began its first sea trial in the middle of this month.

Experts say this signifies progress in the construction of warships that can act as amphibious ships as well as light aircraft carriers.

The first hull of China's Type 076 amphibious assault ship, Sichuan, took off from the port of the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai and sailed to the relevant waters for the inaugural sea test on November 14 at around 09.00 local time, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced on its official WeChat account, reported by the Global Times on November 25.

This sea test will mainly test and verify the reliability and stability of Sichuan's power, electricity and other systems.

"Since its launch in December 2024, Sichuan's construction has been running stably according to plan, successfully completing trials of mooring and commissioning equipment, and now meeting technical requirements for sea trials," said the PLA Navy.

As a new generation amphibious assault ship for the PLA Navy, Sichuan (Hull 51) has a full load of more than 40,000 tons, equipped with a two-island superstructure and a full-length flight deck.

The ship is innovatively adopting catapult technology and electromagnetic retaining, as well as being able to transport fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, amphibious equipment, and other assets, China Central Television (CCTV) News reports.

Chinese military affairs expert Wang Yunfei told the Global Times the first test of the Sichuan Type 076, which was carried out less than a year after its launch, showed that construction was going very well.

Compared to its predecessor, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship, Type 076, is equipped with new technologies such as electromagnetic catapults and a new flight control system with a new dual island design.

"Therefore, the start of the sea trial phase in such a short time shows that everything is going smoothly, and contributes to the potential acceleration of the ship's official assignment," said Wang.

Wang stressed that this inaugural sea test aims to test and verify the reliability and stability of power systems, electricity and other systems.

He said the Type 006 power system not only needs to provide propulsion power for ships, but also distribute electricity to electromagnetic catapults that require power, so this test is very important.

Type 076 Sichuan is the world's first amphibious assault ship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult and capture technology, as well as a Chinese second warship equipped with similar technology after the country's third carrier Fujian (18) officially took charge earlier this month.

Military expert Zhang Junshe explained, although Type 076's main mission was a amphibious landing operation, this ship was not a traditional amphibious assault ship, because it was equipped with an electromagnetic catapult that allowed the ship to carry a fixed-wing aircraft, even a J-35 stealth fighter jet, just like a light carrier.

Wang noted, with China becoming one of the world's drone warehouses, with its electromegnetic catapults, it can carry drones of various sizes and functions.