Recently, the development of amphibious warfare ships by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has attracted significant attention. While the Type 076 amphibious assault ship, which has the potential to be a "quasi-aircraft carrier," is beginning to show its capabilities, the military has once again made a large investment to build four more Type 075 amphibious assault ships. This conclusion was drawn by netizens after observing the shipyard situation, and it has a very high degree of credibility. This decision does not negate advanced technology but rather sends a clear signal: at this stage, the urgency and direct amphibious assault capability for the unification cause are given priority.
Currently, as the world's first amphibious assault ship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult, the Type 076 is undoubtedly a pioneering exploration for the navy's long-range operations and drone applications. Its design focuses more on long-range air superiority, experimental nature, and the enhancement of comprehensive combat capabilities, and is seen by the outside world as a transitional platform toward a "drone carrier."
However, when facing specific strategic tasks and considering the overall development plan, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship has its irreplaceable value: the Type 075 is the "current sharp sword" for achieving national unification. The Type 075 is designed simply and functionally specialized, primarily focused on amphibious assault operations. It has a large straight deck, spacious well deck, and vehicle compartment, enabling efficient vertical and flat landings, making it the most suitable platform for large-scale, multiple-batch troop deployment and beach landing missions at present.
With its strong amphibious troop deployment capability, the Type 075 can create a strong strategic deterrence in the eastern sea area of Taiwan Island. In the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, the Type 075 can quickly deploy a large number of troops, implement a three-dimensional landing, form a "closing the door to beat the dog" situation against the island's defense system, directly cutting off its eastern support and strategic depth, and demonstrating significant tactical value.
Mature and reliable, capable of forming combat power quickly: Compared to the Type 076, which is still under construction and sea trials and has an experimental nature, the Type 075 has already been commissioned and tested, with high technological maturity, allowing it to be mass-produced quickly and form a reliable combat capability, making it the best choice for rapidly enhancing amphibious combat forces at present. In comparison, the Type 076 is a "future reserve" for long-range naval planning and technological verification. The cautious planning of the Type 076 amphibious assault ship by the PLA may stem from its more grandiose long-range naval goals and the objective needs for technological verification:
Related to the development plan of the aircraft carrier group: The Type 076 ship is equipped with electromagnetic catapult capabilities, allowing it to serve as an emergency landing field within an aircraft carrier group during wartime, used for emergency takeoff and landing of fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft, greatly enhancing the survivability and sustained combat capability of the group. Therefore, the future scale of the Type 076's construction is likely closely related to the development scale and deployment plan of China's aircraft carrier groups.
Waiting for the completion of technical verification: The biggest innovation of the Type 076 lies in the electromagnetic catapult system and the use of drones on board. These cutting-edge technologies need to undergo strict and lengthy testing and integration, especially completing the compatibility verification between drones and electromagnetic catapults, optimizing the takeoff and landing procedures, and other technical verification stages. Before these technologies are fully mature and standardized, it is a prudent approach to avoid large-scale mass production.
In summary, the PLA's decision to add more Type 075 amphibious assault ships is based on a clear judgment of current strategic tasks and an urgent response to force requirements. It clearly indicates that the primary goal at this stage is to build a large-scale, reliable, and capable amphibious force able to handle the most severe amphibious warfare challenges. The Type 075 is the "current sharp sword" for achieving national unification, while the Type 076 is a "long-term reserve" for future long-range naval development. Both have clear divisions of labor and together form a powerful amphibious warfare system for the Chinese Navy.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7560990705301996086/
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