Type 076 Sichuan

The world's first amphibious assault ship designed from the keel up as a drone carrier — combining an electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear for fixed-wing UCAVs with a floodable well deck and the capacity to embark over 1,000 marines.

Overview

The Type 076 Sichuan (pennant 51) is a next-generation amphibious assault ship under construction for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Designated the Yulan class by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence, it represents a novel warship category: a landing helicopter assault (LHA) platform fused with a catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) system for fixed-wing uncrewed combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs). The single bow electromagnetic catapult, arresting gear, and full-length flight deck — approximately 260 meters long — give it a small-carrier aviation capability, while its stern well dock retains traditional amphibious lift. Analysts at CSIS have documented the ship's unprecedented scale, noting the flight deck alone is larger than that of the U.S. America class and the Japanese Izumo class. No other navy fields a comparable drone-carrier amphibious hybrid.

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