He Sichuanthe first large amphibious assault ship Type 076 of Chinareturned to the shipyard on the 16th Hudong-Zhonghua after completing a three-day maiden voyage at sea during which the main electrical and propulsion systems were validated. Its design is different from that of other large amphibians in service since it incorporates a 116 meter electromagnetic catapult along the port side to operate unmanned fixed-wing aircraft, including future naval versions of the GJ-11 stealth UCAV. This catapult is longer than the ones in the Fujianalthough with the difference that on the Sichuan there is one and on the aircraft carrier that has just entered service, three.
The ship, the only one of its kind for now and with a hull number 51develops in Shanghai since at least 2023. Its official launching took place on December 27, 2024. Since then it has passed mooring tests, equipment installation and calibration. Significant progress has already been made in recent weeks, including the complete painting of the flight deck markings. In this new test it has also been verified the new integrated electric propulsion plantbased on two 21 MW gas turbines and six 6 MW diesel generators that power the electromagnetic catapult and the ship’s main systems.
🇨🇳China launched the maiden sea trail for its world’s first electromagnetic catapult-equipped Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan.
This new-generation amphibious assault ship of the PLA Navy has a full-load displacement of over 40,000 tons, capable of carrying… pic.twitter.com/lbkEPAe9ug
— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) November 14, 2025
At the end of last month images circulated that They showed a red truck on the deck for testing catapultsa common method used for decades by shipyards and navies in China and USA to check launch systems. Later photographs allowed us to identify three support cables and two large elevators, features more typical of a light aircraft carrier than a traditional amphibianaccording to the defense media Army Recognition.
This is the Sichuan amphibious assault ship
Sichuan exceeds 40,000 tons displacement and measures about 263 meters long and 43 meters widefigures higher than those of the Type 075 already in service and which places it above even large western amphibians in terms of deck width. The cover exceeds 13,500 m²sufficient to sustain intensive aerial activity.
Indications that the future Sichuan air group will revolve around a naval variant of the GJ-11 They have been accumulating for years. Photos of a prototype of the drone equipped with a highly visible landing hook were released this month, and mockups appeared in 2023 at a test center on the nearby island of Changxing.
Last week, Beijing confirmed that the land version of the GJ-11, now named ‘Mysterious Dragon’ after initially being known as ‘Sharp Sword’, has entered service with the PLA Air Force, a step that also facilitates the development of the embarked version. Other systems such as the WZ-7 long-range, intended for surveillance and intelligence missions from Type 076.
The air group of Type 076 It will not be limited to stealth drones. China foresees integrate helicopters and a new manned tiltrotor aircraftcurrently in flight testing.
In addition, the ship incorporates a landing dock aft for traditional amphibious operations, making it a hybrid platform capable of combining assault, naval aviation and UCAV operations. The dock can operate at least two hovercrafts Type 726A (LCAC) and the vessel has vehicle space and accommodation for about 1,000 marines.
The Sichuan’s defensive capabilities are also above what is typical for an amphibious ship. Incorporates a sensor suite similar to that of frigates Type 054Bwith an E/F-band active array radar on the bow mast and an I-band air search radar aft, in addition to a dense array of antennas for electronic warfare and tactical navigation.
As to armamenthas three missile launchers HQ-10 24 cells and three systems with rotating barrels CIWS H/PJ-11 30 mm, accompanied by decoy launchers and countermeasures to defend against aerial threats and anti-ship missiles.
Its entry into service is expected end of 2026which will end a period of manufacturing and testing noticeably short. The first sections of the hull were installed in October 2023 and in just three years it could be fully operational.