CNS Sichuan sets off on maiden sea trial

CNS Sichuan, China's largest and most advanced amphibious assault ship, set sail from Shanghai on its maiden sea trial on Friday, said the People's Liberation Army Navy.

The PLA Navy announced in a news release that the massive vessel left Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based shipyard of China State Shipbuilding Corp, around 9 am on Friday.

Engineers will check and verify the reliability and performance of the ship's electric and propulsion systems during the trial, it said, noting that the mooring test and hardware installation work had been completed.

With a hull code of 51, the Sichuan is the first in the Type 076 class. The ship displaces more than 40,000 metric tons of water and will carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious landing craft after it enters service.

It has a unique configuration featuring a dual-island superstructure — a design that has never been used on any other Chinese ships — and is aimed at better facilitating aviation operations.

The vessel is equipped with an electromagnetic launch system, or electromagnetic catapult, which will be used to launch fixed-wing aircraft. This makes the Sichuan the first Chinese amphibious assault ship to have an electromagnetic catapult and to be capable of deploying fixed-wing drones. It is also the second Chinese vessel using this world-class technology, following the CNS Fujian aircraft carrier.

Upon its commissioning, the ship will be able to support a variety of tasks, ranging from amphibious landings to airstrikes and airborne operations.

According to a senior researcher in China's shipbuilding industry, who wished not to be identified, a warship's maiden voyage typically does not take a long time. "The first sea trial is mainly intended to check whether the ship can move on its own power and the reliability and stability of its apparatus, so it usually takes several days," he noted, adding that no air operations will be involved in the first voyage.

"The performance of the electromagnetic catapult will be examined in future sea trials," he said.

The PLA Navy currently operates four Type 075 amphibious assault ships, all built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, with each having a full displacement of nearly 40,000 tons and capacity to carry multiple helicopters, landing craft, dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.