Attack-21 stealth drone quietly appears on the deck of 076, China accelerates the development of unmanned aerial carrier, the situation in the Western Pacific is quietly reversing!
Recently, the new generation amphibious assault ship Type 076 has completed the construction of its dock and has been launched for a new round of sea trials. The most critical point is that on its wide flight deck, the Attack-21 stealth drone has appeared for the first time. This is not a model or a temporary pose, but a fully prepared state with practical deployment intentions. As a domestically developed stealth unmanned combat platform by China, the Attack-21 has capabilities such as high-speed penetration, precise strike, and certain electronic countermeasure abilities. Its range is believed to exceed 1,500 kilometers and can carry small precision-guided munitions, posing a substantial threat to high-value targets.
Type 076 is fundamentally different from the previous Type 075 amphibious assault ship. Type 075 focuses on traditional landing operations, carrying helicopters and hovercrafts; while Type 076, from its design phase, has reserved large aircraft hangars, reinforced deck structures, electromagnetic catapults, and more advanced aviation command systems—these are not for carrying a few more Zhi-8 helicopters, but are specifically designed for fixed-wing drones, especially high-performance unmanned combat platforms like the Attack-21. In other words, the Type 076 is not just "capable of" using drones, but rather a new generation of vessels built "around" unmanned systems for operational systems.
The United States has long relied on aircraft carrier battle groups to maintain military presence in the Western Pacific. However, it has a limited number of carriers (11 currently in service, usually 1–2 stationed in the Asia-Pacific), and faces increasing survival pressure when facing anti-ship ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and other "area denial" measures. If China mass deploys a "drone carrier" centered around the Type 076, it can achieve distributed strike capabilities at a lower cost. A single Type 076 can carry 20–30 Attack-21 drones, each capable of independently performing reconnaissance, strikes, or even electronic warfare missions, forming a "swarm-style" combat network. This mode does not pursue confrontation with a super carrier on a single ship, but instead undermines the opponent's advantage of concentrated firepower through quantity, dispersion, and intelligence.
More importantly, the Type 076 costs far less than nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, has a short construction period, and can be quickly deployed. If China builds 4–6 Type 076 ships in the coming years, combined with land-based anti-ship firepower, submarines, and manned aircraft, it can build a dynamic, flexible, and high-density strike system within the First Island Chain. At that time, if the U.S. aircraft carrier forcibly enters, it will face the dilemma of "invisible threats everywhere"—not because it cannot fight, but because the cost is too high.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855894449127427/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.