On Friday, China initiated sea trials for its most advanced amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan Type 076. This development comes just a week after the commissioning of its latest aircraft carrier, continuing the rapid modernization of the Chinese navy, which is currently the largest in the world.

The Sichuan, which departed from Shanghai’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard, is designed to combine features of both aircraft carriers and earlier amphibious assault ships. It has capabilities for launching not only aircraft but also landing crafts loaded with troops.

Measuring about half the size of the Fujian — China’s latest aircraft carrier commissioned on November 7 — the Sichuan has a displacement of approximately 40,000 tons. Both vessels were indigenously designed and constructed.

Although exact technical specifications of the Sichuan remain undisclosed, it is noted that amphibious assault ships typically exhibit greater speed than traditional carriers, providing increased operational flexibility. However, they tend to have less protection against attacks and cannot accommodate as many or as diverse a range of aircraft.

China’s navy boasts a greater number of ships than the U.S. Navy, but it falls short in terms of capabilities, with fewer aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. Under Xi Jinping’s leadership, the Chinese military has embarked on a significant building program aimed at modernization.

Xi has expressed ambitions to have a fully modernized military by 2035, aspiring for it to achieve “world-class” status by mid-century, a goal generally interpreted to imply capabilities similar to that of the United States.

One of Xi’s strategic objectives includes the Taiwan Strait. He has not excluded using force to claim the democratically self-governed island, which would likely require the deployment of amphibious assault ships. However, Taiwan is well-defended, equipped with missile systems that could impose heavy costs on any attempts at invasion.

The Sichuan can be compared to the U.S. Navy’s America-class and Wasp-class amphibious assault ships. Notably, it is outfitted with a modern electromagnetic catapult system, successfully tested on the Fujian, unlike American vessels, which can only operate helicopters and short or vertical take-off and landing planes.

According to official Chinese reports, this electromagnetic system would enable the Sichuan to launch fixed-wing aircraft alongside helicopters and STOVL and VTOL models. However, it remains uncertain whether these capabilities will include drones or crewed aircraft such as fighter jets. Further details regarding these capabilities are expected to emerge as the sea trials progress.

China has not specified the duration of the Sichuan’s sea trials.