The successful sea trials of China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian carrier, from May 1st to 8th, 2024, undoubtedly mark another significant increase in the strength of the Chinese navy. However, the development achievements of the Chinese navy in 2024 are not limited to just the Fujian carrier.
Following the sea trials of the Fujian carrier, photo information of what appears to be the construction of the suspected Type 076 amphibious assault ship at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard has been exposed.
One wave of good news after another leads us to cannot help but marvel that it seems Western powers have once again made a misjudgment. China’s new large warships may once again exceed external expectations.
What Fujian carrier Brings
The Fujian carrier is considered the most advanced and powerful conventionally powered aircraft carrier in history. According to data from CCTV, the displacement of the Fujian carrier is over 80,000 tons, but many military enthusiasts believe that based on the analysis of the waterline position during the sea trials of the Fujian carrier, the full load displacement of the carrier may likely reach 90,000 tons.
This means that the Fujian carrier may not simply be a large aircraft carrier but may have entered the ranks of supercarriers.
Since its launch in 2022, the sea trial plan for the Fujian carrier has been closely watched. This sea trial of the Fujian carrier, except for not carrying aircraft, can basically be considered a full-status phase, allowing us to have a clearer understanding of everything about this aircraft carrier.
Firstly, the hull configuration of the Fujian carrier continues the development concept of integrating Eastern and Western weapons. Its hull and flight deck layout are very Western, but the island retains some shadows of Soviet aircraft carriers.
Compared to American aircraft carriers, the island of the Fujian carrier is obviously closer to the middle position of the carrier, possibly due to considerations of the center of gravity, unable to move the island aft like nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
However, the island of the Fujian carrier itself also brings enough surprises. The entire island integrates as many as 32 phased array radar faces, unprecedented in the world, which is enough to show that China has indeed achieved the popularization of advanced phased array radar technology.
The installation of so many radars together requires a very high level of comprehensive radio frequency technology. Different radars have different operating frequencies and signal characteristics, which are easy to interfere with each other when integrated.
To solve this problem, the latest Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers in the UK adopt a unique twin island design, separating the aviation island from the navigation island.
However, China’s signal integration and comprehensive radio frequency technology are powerful enough, so one island is enough, saving precious deck space, which is very important for Chinese aircraft carriers equipped with heavy carrier-based aircraft.
The most concerned subsystem of the Fujian carrier is undoubtedly the electromagnetic catapult and arresting technology. The Fujian carrier adopts a 3-catapult-2-arrest design, one fewer catapult and elevator than American carriers.
Many people are curious why China does not adopt the 4-catapult-3-arrest layout of American aircraft carriers. In fact, in terms of the effectiveness of aircraft dispatch, changing from 2 catapults to 3 catapults makes a significant difference, but the efficiency increase from 3 catapults to 4 catapults is minimal.
This is also why despite the lower number of catapults and elevators, the aircraft dispatch efficiency of the Fujian carrier can still surpass that of the American Nimitz-class carriers.
Of course, the efficiency improvement brought by the electromagnetic catapult cannot be ignored. Currently, only two countries in the world, China and the United States, have electromagnetic catapult technology.
From the current development and application of catapult technology in the two countries, China should be in the lead. Although the Ford-class has been in service for some time, insiders of the US Navy have repeatedly revealed that the reliability of the electromagnetic catapult does not meet military requirements.
The American system uses flywheel energy storage technology, and its flywheel components are prone to failure and damage under high load operation. Once damaged, the entire catapult must be removed for repair upon returning to port.
So, currently, the Ford-class dare not operate the catapults at full load, but China’s electromagnetic system uses supercapacitor energy storage, avoiding the reliability problems encountered by the American system.
Leading the World with Type 076
Although there are voices suggesting that Type 076 exists only in the imagination of military enthusiasts and is unlikely to become a reality, there is a saying that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” so there is still a possibility that Type 076 will be built.
Although Type 076 is considered the successor to Type 075 amphibious assault ship, at present, it cannot be regarded as a typical amphibious assault ship worldwide due to its unique hull design.
Type 076 may be equipped with two electromagnetic catapults, which are not for launching conventional carrier-based aircraft but for drones.
Type 076 may not carry naval helicopters, rotorcraft, or even vertical takeoff and landing aircraft like its American counterparts or Type 075, but primarily relies on unmanned carrier-based aircraft to participate in both sea and land strike operations.
Currently, news about the construction progress of Type 076 indicates that this type of amphibious assault ship is highly likely to be equipped with catapults and an angled flight deck, all designed specifically for operating drones on the aircraft carrier.
Military experts analyze that in the future, Type 076 may carry a new generation of stealth shipborne unmanned aerial vehicles called Gongji-21, which adopt a flying-wing layout and are powered by a non-afterburning version of the WS-15 turbofan engine.
These attack drones can carry long-range strike munitions against both ground and naval targets, coordinating with the carrier-based aircraft formations of the Fujian carrier to launch attacks on sea and land targets.
In addition, Gongji-21 may also become loyal wingmen of the J-35, participating in air superiority battles, thoroughly changing the future form of naval aviation combat.
For conventional carrier-based aircraft, Type 076 may not be large enough, but for unmanned aircraft like Gongji-21, the takeoff and landing space is very abundant, and it may even have certain amphibious assault capabilities, deploying WZ-21 to provide close air support to ground units.
In addition, there are rumors that China may plan to build a total of three Type 076 ships next, which also confirms that the positioning of Type 076 is indeed different from that of the traditional amphibious assault ship Type 075. In the future, Type 076 may become an important component of the Fujian carrier strike group.
With China’s nearly brutal shipbuilding capabilities, when 076 successfully launches, it will be a milestone in the construction of the Chinese navy, leading in both quantity and quality in the Asia-Pacific region, preparing for potential military conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region in the future.
References:
【1】”China’s 40,000-ton Amphibious Warship Exposed for the First Time.” Phoenix News. 2012-11-21 [Accessed November 22, 2012]
【2】”Hull Number 18! China’s Third Aircraft Carrier, Fujian carrier, Conducts First Sea Trials Today.” CCTV News Client [Accessed May 1, 2024]