Type 076 Yulan LHA - Catapult
The Type 076 amphibious assault ship is equipped with electromagnetic catapult[s] and electromagnetic arresting devices. They are different from those on the Type 003 aircraft carrier. They are specially tailored for the Type 076 amphibious assault ship and are used to take off and land carrier-borne drones. It is reported that the electromagnetic catapult equipped on the Type 076 amphibious assault ship is a reduced version, and its ability to launch carrier-based aircraft is weaker. However, its length is also shortened, which can better adapt to the Type 076 amphibious assault ship with a smaller deck area.
From satellie imagery and aerial photography, the 076 amphibious assault ship may only had one electromagnetic catapult. Photos released online 09 June 2024 showed that the 076 has only one electromagnetic catapult, and the installation slot is quite long, about 100 meters long. The installation position of the catapult flame shield is not yet visible. Because some areas in the middle of the hull are still at the height of the second deck and have not reached the height of the flight deck. But there is no doubt that this electromagnetic catapult can definitely launch the KJ-600 and J-35 carrier-based fighters.
By May 2024, the hull height of the 076 had reached the height above the second deck, and most of the front of the hull has even reached the height of the flight deck. However, on the bow, there is only one reserved installation slot for the electromagnetic catapult on the port side. There is no reserved installation slot for the electromagnetic catapult on the starboard side. In the upper right corner of the dock, we also saw a ship island of 076, and the hull module with the electromagnetic catapult installation slot that was there a long time ago.
Previously, some said 076 will have at least two electromagnetic catapults and an angled deck, and will be closer to an aircraft carrier in terms of function and overall configuration, similar to a younger version of the Fujian ship? A smaller version? A mini version? Some people also said that the Type 076 ship is just an enlargement of the Type 075 ship, namely the 075 Plus or 075Max. It may have 1 to 2 electromagnetic catapults, but the catapult stroke is much smaller than that of a regular aircraft carrier like the "Fujian". It can only launch light fighters and will not use an angled deck, but a full-length deck that is larger than the Type 075 ship but has a similar configuration.
According to technical logic, 076 should have two electromagnetic catapults. Because if there is only one electromagnetic catapult, if there is a failure, the entire ship will lose the ability to take off fixed-wing aircraft. This is a single point failure in technology, and it should be avoided as much as possible in the design of complex systems. It seems that the designers of 076 are very confident in the domestic electromagnetic catapult. According to online rumors, domestic electromagnetic catapults have been launched tens of thousands of times in land tests, and the service life of several J-15 prototypes has been used up. It seems that the reliability of domestic electromagnetic catapults should be guaranteed. Moreover, electromagnetic catapults are large power consumers, and one requires a distribution power of more than ten megawatts. With the power generation capacity on the 076 ship, it may only be able to afford one electromagnetic catapult. Because the total power of the 076 power system is 78 megawatts, most of which is used for propulsion and for electrical equipment on the ship, there is not much power available for the electromagnetic catapult.
The design of 076 equipped with only one electromagnetic catapult also makes sense. Because if the catapult is designed on the starboard side, the frequency of use of the catapult will be very low. This is determined by the flight deck layout of 076. Some observers believe that 076 does not have an angled deck and cannot take off and land fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft at the same time, and the operation efficiency of the flight deck is not high. But since 076 has both a dock and a hangar, it is impossible to have an angled deck. Because there is a hangar and a dock at the same time, the center of gravity of the hull must be very high, and the roll will be more obvious in wind and waves. If there is an angled deck, the edge of the angled deck will rise and fall more, and it will be easy to reach the point where carrier-based aircraft cannot be operated in wind and waves. Therefore, 076 cannot have an angled deck.
The absence of an angled deck will not affect the deck operation efficiency of the flight of 076. Because the number of aircraft carried by 076 is not large, although the displacement of 076 may have reached 50,000 to 55,000 tons, the number of aircraft carried by it may be at most about 30. Even if the amphibious landing combat mission is not performed, there must be 4 to 5 helicopters, and there will be more than 5 drones. Before the fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft takes off, one or two helicopters may be launched first to perform the task of preparing to rescue pilots who fall into the water during the takeoff and landing of the carrier-based aircraft. From the current situation, the length of the electromagnetic catapult on 076 may be the same as that on the Fujian ship. This means that both the KJ-600 and the J-35 may be on board. Both types of carrier-based aircraft are manned. Therefore, one or two helicopters need to be launched first to prepare to rescue pilots who may fall into the water. There are at least five helicopter take-off and landing points on the 076 ship, so the take-off and landing efficiency of the helicopter is very high.
From the imagery, the length of this electromagnetic catapult may be comparable to the length of the electromagnetic catapult used on the Fujian ship. The electromagnetic catapult on the Fujian ship is about 110 meters long, and if it is calculated from the rear edge of the flame shield, the total length may be about 130 meters. So the end of the electromagnetic catapult of 076 has reached the left side of the island. If the length of this catapult is really that long, then in theory all carrier-based aircraft that can board the Fujian ship can board the 076 amphibious assault ship. That is to say, the KJ-600 and J-35 also have the opportunity to board the 076 amphibious assault ship. The J-35 boarding is not actually the most important thing. The most important thing is the KJ-600 boarding. If the KJ-600 can board the ship, it will upgrade the function of 076 to a higher level, and it can have a complete maritime attack and defense system like an aircraft carrier. This will allow 076 to have the ability to replace aircraft carriers to some extent.
If the J-35 is deployed on board, the maximum number of aircraft may be around 20 .
And because the drone has a very long hovering time, the frequency of take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft on the 076 flight deck is not high. There may be only a dozen aircraft that really need to coordinate take-off and landing operations frequently. The length of the flight deck of 076 is about 260 meters, even if the length of the 50-meter island is deducted. Calculated based on an aircraft occupying an 8-meter width, at least 26 aircraft can be parked on the right side of the flight deck. In other words, almost all fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft can be parked in the parking area on the right side of the flight deck. In this way, the flight runway on the port is basically clear. If an aircraft lands, it will be immediately towed to the parking area on the right, and the runway will be cleared quickly. If a fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft takes off, it can take off quickly by pulling onto the runway, and then the runway will be cleared again. The runway can switch between take-off and landing operations in a very short time, so the overall operation efficiency on the flight deck is very high. Therefore, there is no need to use an angled deck for 076.
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