CHINA’S TYPE 076 LHA NEARS COMMISSIONING

Rear Admiral Monty Khanna (Retd) – ‘Dabolim Diaries’ Issue No 23 dated 25 May 2026

PLA Navy Expeditionary Assets

China has made considerable investment in her expeditionary capabilities. More notably, the expeditionary assets that the PLA Navy has acquired over the years have increased in both, size and capability. Various variants of the Type 072 Yuting Class LSTs have thus been complemented by eight capable Type 071 LPDs commissioned between 2007 and 2020. These were further augmented by four of the even larger Type 075 LHAs which were commissioned between 2021 and 2025.

In late 2019/early 2020, reports began emerging of China designing a new LHA which would be considerably larger than the Type 075, possibly the largest LHA in service globally. This design was called the Type 076. According to documents published online on 19 July 20, the 708th Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding, an institution involved in the development of military vessels, had tendered research and modelling work worth Rmb 478.3m ($68m) related to this programme. Computer Generated Images (CGIs) created by PLA Navy watchers in mid-2020 (Fig 1) bore some resemblance to the final vessel.

Fig 1: Computer Generated Imagery of Type 076 in 2020

Construction Yard Upgradation

The yard chosen to execute the project was HuDong ZhongHua (HDZH), a shipyard that has specialised in the construction of expeditionary assets. Their building facilities are located on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. It is at this yard that all the Type 071 and Type 075 vessels have been built. However, this location precludes expansion as well as building even larger vessels in quantity. It was therefore decided to build a new yard on Changxing Island abutting the existing JNCX yard that occupies a substantial amount of real estate on the island. Work at this facility included the dredging of a large wet basin of dimensions 750 x 240 m and the construction of a large drydock measuring 440 x 90 m. Along with these major infrastructure augmentation projects, numerous fabrication and logistics sheds were also built (Fig 2).

Fig 2: New HDZH Yard on Changxing Island, Shanghai

Construction of Type 076

Barely had the cement on the floor of the new dock-dock cured, construction of a large vessel was witnessed at this facility in October 2023 which was speculated to be a Type 076 LHA (Fig 3).

Fig 3: First Blurry Image of Construction Activity at New Dry Dock of HDZH in Oct 2023

This was subsequently confirmed in Dec 2023 as clearer pictures of the work sight appeared in open media (Fig 4).

Fig 4: Photo Dated 08 Dec 2023 Showing Construction of Type 076

The final counters of the hull became clear by May 2024 as shown in the photograph below (Fig 5).

Fig 5: Type 076 Construction Image Dated May 2024

With regards to the superstructure, while there was speculation that the 076 might have a two-island configuration, this became apparent only in Sep 2024 in new photographs posted online (Fig 6).

Fig 6: Twin Island Superstructure Visible in Image Dated Sep 2024

By mid-December 2024, dry-dock based fabrication activity was complete and the vessel was painted (Fig 7).

Fig 7: Mid Dec 2024 of Type 076 with Paintwork Complete

Launch.  In a glittering ceremony on 28 Dec 2024, in an astonishing 15 months from keel laying, the vessel was launched (Fig 8). In a departure from what has normally been the practice, the PLA Navy formally announced the name of the vessel as Sichuan at the time of launch itself.

Fig 8: Type 076 Launch Ceremony on 28 Dec 2024.

Post launch, the vessel was taken to a berth at the new HDZH wet basin on Changxing Island to continue with residual shipyard activity in the afloat condition (Fig 9).

Fig 9: Type 076 Being Positioned in Wet Basin After Launch

 Post Launch Activity

The vessel underwent her first sea sortie from 14 to 16 Nov 2025 (Fig 10). As per Chinese state media, these trials focused on evaluating the ship’s power and propulsion system.

Fig 10: Type 076 Undergoing First Sea Trials in Nov 2025

First Docking Post Launch

The Type 076 underwent her first dry docking post launch at the old HDZH drydock on the Huangpu River from end December 2025 (Fig 11). She was undocked on 31 Jan 2026 and berthed at a jetty near the drydock for further work.

Fig 11: Type 076 in First Dry Docking Post Launch at HDZH (Old Yard)

Cross Regional Sea Trials and Possible Repositioning at Zhanjiang. The ship sailed from Shanghai on 20 Apr 26 and was sighted entering Zhanjiang harbour on 23 Apr 26 (Fig 12). This is the premier expeditionary base of the PLA Navy. The stated purpose of this sailing was the conduct of cross-regional trials in the South China Sea which would include scientific testing along with more advanced, system-level exercises. It is likely that the vessel may be based at Zhanjiang on a permanent basis post commissioning. Given the speed at which trials are progressing, it is assessed that the vessel may be commissioned in the last quarter of 2026 or in early 2027.

Fig 12: Type 076 Entering Zhanjiang on 23 April 2026

Main Differences as Compared to Type 075

The Type 076 differs substantially from the four Type 075s in service with the PLA Navy. The main points of departure are as listed below: –

• Size of the Vessel. As mentioned earlier, the vessel is considerably larger than the Type 075. Its length is 252 m, beam 45 m and displaces about 45,000 tonnes. The corresponding figures for the Type 075 are 232 m (length), 37 m (beam) and about 35,000 tonnes (displacement). The satellite image shown below capturing both the vessels clearly shows the difference in their size (Fig 13).

Fig 13: Satellite Image Showing Comparative Sizes of Type 076 and Type 075

• Island Configuration. For the first time, the PLA Navy has adopted a two-island superstructure for a large aviation platform (Fig 14). This is akin to that of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class carriers. This arrangement allows for better distribution of propulsion prime movers by catering for two well separated funnels, thereby avoiding long (and space consuming) uptakes and downtakes for the movement of flue gases/air. It also allows for better placement of the Flyco in the aft island.

Fig 14: Twin Island Superstructure of Type 076

• Electro Magnetic Catapult. The vessel is fitted with a single Electro Magnetic Catapult (Fig 15) of similar length and capability as that fitted on the aircraft carrier Fujian and has three arrestor wires. Thus, while the primary purpose of the catapult is stated to be the launch and recovery of drones, nothing prevents it from being used to operate heavier manned fighters.

Fig 15: Type 076 Under Construction with EM Catapult Trench Clearly Visible

• Integrated Electric Propulsion. The vessel is fitted with a Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) based Integrated Electric Propulsion System (IEPS). This is stated to be superior to the Alternating Current based IEPS systems used by several western navies such as the United Kingdom in their Type 45 destroyers and Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. IEPS optimises the employment of prime movers while underway thereby reducing maintenance and increasing endurance. It also allows for greater flexibility in the placement of generators while simultaneously significantly reducing self-noise.
• Weapon and Sensor Upgrade. Insofar as weapons are concerned, the vessel has a dense CIWS architecture comprising of 3 x 24-Cell HHQ 10 SAM systems, 3 x Type 1130 11-barrelled Gattling Guns, and 4 x 24-tube Type 736-4 CHAFF launchers. It may be noted that for the first time, the Type 1130 have been seen with a phased array fire-control radar (Fig 16).

Fig 16: Type 1130 CIWS with Phased Array Fire-Control Radar

Assessment

There are a few notable features about the PLA Navy Type 076 programme. These are as listed below:

• Speed of Construction. The speed of construction of the Type 076 has been noteworthy, more so considering that this is the ‘first of class’, large, and complex aircraft operating vessel, built in a newly constructed shipyard. Time intervals between significant milestones are as listed below:
  • Keel laying to Launch: 15 months
  • Launch to First Sea Sortie: 10.5 months
  • First Sea Sortie to Commissioning: 12 to 15 months (estimated)
• Design Autonomy. Insofar as the design of major combatants is concerned, the underlying assumption has hitherto been that Chinese ship designers are in ‘catch-up mode’ and minimise their risk by essentially examining and adopting design features from western ships of similar capabilities. In the Type 076, for the first time the PLA Navy has broken this mould. The design of the Type 076 is unique in the sense that it includes a large flight deck, hangar, vehicle deck, well-deck for LCACs, EM catapult as well as arrestor wires, all in a single vessel. No other nation has built a vessel of this nature before. It shows that the confidence and consequent risk-taking appetite of Chinese designers has matured to a point that they no longer feel constrained in making iterative improvements to proven western designs.
• Aviation Component. While the composition of the airwing of the Type 076 is not clear at this juncture, it is assessed that this will primarily comprise of the GJ-21 UCAVs and helicopters. The EM catapult will dispense with most limitations pertaining to All Up Weight (AUW) of the UCAV thereby making it an effective aerial platform. Embarkation of a small number of manned fighters (J-35) complimented by an AEW aircraft (KJ-600) cannot be ruled out. In the absence of an aircraft carrier in the vicinity, it could also be used as a staging/diversionary platform for these aviation assets.