China launches first Type 076 amphibious assault ship

China unveiled its largest and most advanced amphibious assault ship on Friday in Shanghai, naming it after the southwestern province of Sichuan.

With a hull code of 51, the CNS Sichuan is the first in the Type 076 class and is being built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the nation's dominant naval hardware contractor.

According to the People's Liberation Army Navy, the ship will displace more than 40,000 metric tons of water and will carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious landing craft.

It has a two-island superstructure configuration, a design that has never been used on any other Chinese ships and is aimed to better facilitate aviation operations, a full-length flight deck and an electromagnetic launch system, or electromagnetic catapult, which will be used to launch fixed-wing aircraft, the PLA Navy said in a news release.

After a brief launch ceremony on Friday morning at Hudong-Zhonghua, water was pumped into a dry dock in which the ship's hull was built.

Guests at the ceremony — leaders from the Navy and the Sichuan provincial government, executives of China State Shipbuilding Corp, as well as some of the vessel's designers and construction workers — applauded as they watched the launch process.

In shipbuilding terminology, launch refers to the process during which a nearly-finished ship is moved into water. It is one of the most important stages in a ship's construction because once a ship is launched, it means that its major structures have been readied and major work on the entire construction project has been done.

The Navy added that in the next phase, engineers will start outfitting and fine-tuning the vessel's equipment before mooring tests and sea trials are conducted.

Currently, the PLA operates three Type 075 amphibious assault ships, which were named after three provincial-level regions: Hainan, Guangxi and Anhui.

All of the Type 075s were built at Hudong-Zhonghua. The model has a full displacement of nearly 40,000 tons and can carry several helicopters and landing craft as well as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.