The PLA’s new “drone carrier”, a key asset for potential amphibious operations against Taiwan, appears to have conducted its second sea trial, marking quick progress towards deployment amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the island.
A large vessel departed from the Hudong–Zhonghua shipyard on Friday, according to a navigation warning issued a day earlier by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.
The notice did not identify the vessel, but it is believed to be the Sichuan, the People’s Liberation Army’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, which was built and berthed at the same shipyard in Shanghai. An image of the ship at sea also circulated on Friday on Chinese social media.
The trial, which Beijing has not officially confirmed, took place just two weeks after the Sichuan’s first sea trial, which lasted three days and tested the reliability and stability of the supersized warship’s engine and power system.
The tight schedule of trials suggests a rapid march towards commissioning the vessel, expected by the end of next year, which would be roughly two years after its launch in December last year.
The Type 076 features an electromagnetic catapult system enabling faster and more frequent aircraft launches, similar to the technology installed on China’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which entered service on November 5 after its first sea trial in May last year.
