China continues to defy expectations with its massive military buildup. As the Americans tut-tut about whatever overpriced and underperforming manned system, like the F-47 sixth-generation warplane, they’re splurging gobs of tax dollars on, the Chinese just quietly created an entirely new class of relatively affordable warship.
And it truly is a doozie.
Type 076: A New Kind of Aircraft Carrier
The Type 076 is essentially a drone aircraft carrier.
A supersized amphibious assault ship and drone carrier, the impressive platform displaces over 40,000 tons and features an electromagnetic catapult (EMALS) and a full-length flight deck designed to operate uncrewed combat aerial vehicles such as the stealthy GJ-11. Let’s just take stock of that for a moment.
At a time when US naval shipyards cannot even sustain the fleet of warships and submarines that the United States has, Chinese naval shipyards are so prodigious that they can easily produce and maintain conventional warships and submarines (at astonishing rates), but they can also build entirely new classes of warships at scale.
China Solves EMALS Before America
Oh, and the new drone carrier has a working EMALS system.
This is a new innovation created by the United States for their vaunted $13 billion new aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, that the Chinese likely stole from the United States.
But, here’s the kicker: the Chinese got their version of it working long before the Americans ever managed to make their work properly.
While the Ford is still working out the kinks with their EMALS, China is scaling that system for all its new carriers and, apparently, drone carriers.
Here’s Why the Type 076 Matters
Why is this important?
Well, because a functional EMALS increases sortie rates. During combat operations, increased sortie rates could prove decisive for the side with the working EMALS.
Now, you throw in the presence of advanced drone swarms being deployed by an EMALS from a dedicated drone carrier, and you’ve got a nightmare scenario if you are trying to defend a fixed position, like say, Taiwan. Or Japan.
The Lessons of Iran and Ukraine
Here’s what the Iran War and the Ukraine War have taught China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea: cheap, expendable weapons produced at scale can be used to deplete the expensive and finite air defenses of their rivals. This is precisely what transpired in the Iran War. To a lesser extent, it is occurring in the Ukraine War, as NATO strains to keep Ukrainian defenses supplied amid the high operational tempo of the conflict.
China has watched these conflicts (both Iran and Russia are close allies, after all), and applied the lessons of drone and missile swarming tactics to its own maritime-heavy environment.
The Type 076 fits perfectly into that overall doctrine.
Imagine parking this thing near Taiwan or Japan and simply unloading all the drones onboard to deplete the expensive, exquisite air and missile defenses surrounding sensitive targets on either Taiwan or Japan.
The idea would not be to defeat China’s adversaries with systems like the Type 076 and their drone complements.
Instead, it would simply be to wear down the defenses of places like Taiwan or Japan, giving the Chinese more military maneuvering room.
More Than a Drone Aircraft Carrier
As noted above, though, the Type 076 is not just a drone carrier. It’s a hybrid ship.
This warship doubles as an amphibious lander, meaning that the ship retains a floodable well deck for launching hovercraft to deploy onto any ground target.
The ship also has a massive internal hangar capable of transporting a reinforced marine battalion of roughly 1,000 troops, armored vehicles, and helicopters.
The First of Many
According to The War Zone, a popular online trade publication, the Type 076 recently began sea trials. What’s more, it is likely to be merely the first of many that China plans to employ over the coming years.
Considering how committed to dominating the First Island Chain (the regions extending from the Kamchatka Peninsula down through Japan and Taiwan, all the way to the Philippines and the South China Sea), the Type 076 will provide a devastating capability that no other nation currently possesses.
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About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor at 19FortyFive.com. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert also hosts “National Security Talk” on Rumble. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, the most recent of which is A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.
