Sichuan (Type 076) is the only warship in the world with an electromagnetic catapult! (8 photos)

The unveiling ceremony of the Type 076 (or Type 076) took place on December 27. The Chinese warship, which combines the capabilities of an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship, is now officially called the Sichuan and has the hull number 51.





At the ceremony, the Type 076 was named Sichuan

The ceremony took place in the dry dock of the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard near Shanghai. The Sichuan, first spotted on satellite images in October 2023, was built here. The project is being built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The state-owned company is responsible for many of the Chinese Navy's warships, including the Type 055 destroyer and the aircraft carrier Fujian.

The Sichuan was still in dry dock at the time of the ceremony. It was then launched into the water, meaning that test drives will begin soon.



Landing Ship

The Sichuan is classified as an amphibious assault ship. Such warships were originally used to transport troops to their bases. The Sichuan has a corrugated deck at the stern.





The electromagnetic catapult makes the Sichuan unique

Some warships serve as aircraft carriers, such as those carrying vertical takeoff aircraft, which, due to their design, can take off from shorter runways and ski jumps. These include the US Marine Corps' America-class ships, which carry the F-35B stealth fighter.

Despite the variety of ships in the amphibious assault ship category, only one in the world has an electromagnetic launch system (EMALS): the Sichuan. Before the Sichuan, only two ships had EMALS, both of which were supercarriers: the USS Gerald R. Ford and the Chinese Navy's Fujian.

How Electromagnetic Launch Systems Work

With EMALS, the aircraft is attached to a catapult located on the runway. Electromagnets along the track create an extremely strong magnetic field.

This accelerates the aircraft, which is attached to a special structure (a kind of rail), during acceleration. Once the aircraft reaches the speed required for takeoff, it breaks away from this structure and takes off. These rails are then braked and automatically returned for the next launch.

Advantages over steam catapults

Thanks to the operating principle of magnets, the acceleration of the electromagnetic version can be precisely controlled. The force required can vary greatly depending on the type of aircraft. For example, fully loaded fighter jets are significantly heavier than unmanned reconnaissance drones. If you accelerate it too much, the drone can be damaged.

Since EMALS have fewer moving parts than classic steam catapults, they are less prone to error and require less maintenance. The electromagnets also charge faster than the steam is generated, so EMALS can launch more aircraft in quick succession.

The catapult was hidden at the opening ceremony. Perhaps it is not yet fully operational, or China wants to prevent leaks of its unique technology.

The GJ-11 drone was developed specifically for the Sichuan

The combat drones are currently expected to be launched using a catapult. In June 2024, a ground training area modeled after part of the Sichuan's flight deck was discovered in satellite images.



A training site with a GJ-11.

The training site is located near the shipyard where the warship was built. Objects resembling the GJ-11 could be seen at the site. The stealth drone is 12.2 meters long and has a wingspan of 14.4 meters. In the internal weapons bay, it will carry missiles and bombs for ground attacks.



The GJ-11 was best seen at a military parade in Beijing.

There is also speculation that the GJ-11 or its newer variant could be equipped with air-to-air missiles. The drone is designed not only to fly solo, but also to support China's manned J-20 and J-35 stealth aircraft as a wingman in combat.

The idea is that the co-pilot in the J-20's cockpit is responsible for giving the GJ-11 attack orders or assessing the drone's intelligence.

Unusually wide deck

In terms of size, the Type 076 is currently the largest operational amphibious assault ship in the world with a completely flat flight deck. It is not entirely clear what the Type 076 will ultimately be like or what missions it will perform.

Based on satellite images, the ship is estimated to be 263 meters long and 43 meters wide. Some naval experts even suggest a width of just over 50 meters, based on photos taken so far.

According to the Chinese Navy, the Sichuan is expected to have a combat displacement of around 40,000 tons. This may be a deliberately low figure to make China's potential enemies less likely to draw conclusions about its combat effectiveness. Given the ship's size, a displacement of nearly 50,000 tons fully loaded is possible. By comparison, the America-class, the largest active US amphibious assault ship, is 257 meters long, 32 meters wide, and displaces up to 45,693 tons.

The focus on the GJ-11 may be one reason why the Sichuan is unusually wide for a ship of its class. The wide deck ensures that multiple drones have plenty of room to maneuver despite the large wingspan. By comparison, the LHD Trieste, Italy’s largest warship, has a flight deck 230 meters long and 36 meters wide, and is equipped with a ski-jump ramp for the F-35B.

Fighters on an Aircraft Carrier

There is currently no indication that China wants to use manned aircraft on the new ship. However, it could be a vertical takeoff aircraft, essentially an analogue of the American F-35B.

There are rumors that China is working on a variant of the J-35 that can take off and land vertically, but there is no concrete evidence yet. When the Sichuan enters service, it is expected to be equipped with drones of various sizes and manned helicopters.

However, it cannot be ruled out that the Sichuan will eventually launch manned and unmanned fighters. This is because it is optimized for flight, as shown by its dual-turret configuration.



Type 076. Photo: Xinhua In this configuration, the bridge is in one turret, and the personnel conducting surveillance and flight control are in the second turret. This means that the crews do not interfere with each other's work.

The configuration with two turrets is considered modern and is also used in Western countries. LHD Trieste is based on this solution, as are the British aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth class.

Armament

The ceremony demonstrated the armament. As with most ships optimized for flight operation, the armament is intended for the ship's self-defense.

The photo shows 3 launchers for the HQ-10, although the ship could have had more. This is probably the version with 24 missiles per launcher.



The rear of the Type O76 SAM with the HQ-10 (left and right) and the Type 1130 SAM (middle). Photo: Weibo The surface-to-air missiles have a range of up to 9 km and are designed to deter drones, aircraft and anti-ship missiles. The American equivalent is the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe missile.

Also visible are four decoy launchers, two on each side of the ship. They are usually equipped with flares to deflect the missiles using infrared and radar guidance systems.



One of the decoy launchers can be seen on the bottom left. Photo: Weibo Three Type 1130 anti-aircraft guns can also be seen on the left, back, and right sides of the ship. This is a 30mm machine gun with 11 barrels. It is reported that the rate of fire will be up to 11,000 rounds per minute, and the effective range is up to 3 km.

Each Type 1130 anti-aircraft gun system has its own radar, so once activated, it can independently engage incoming air targets. It is considered the last active line of defense to repel anti-ship missiles and kamikaze drones. It can also be used to combat targets on the water surface, such as boats and floating kamikaze drones.

A role model for Western countries

The Sichuan is of particular interest due to its unusual configuration. And it is not only of interest to the United States, which would face it as an adversary in a possible armed conflict in the Pacific. As far as can be judged at the moment, the Sichuan is currently the most modern landing ship in the world.

The wide flight deck will attract significant interest from other shipbuilders as more countries express a need for drone carriers. The Sichuan could pave the way for new warship designs.

But its versatility could be a drawback. Functional entry into service is not expected until 2026.