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8h ago

China Begins Sea Trials of Type 076 Amphibious Carrier as Evidence Mounts of Nuclear Type 004

The move signals a dual-track expansion that could extend China’s naval reach.

The Chinese Type 076 amphibious assault ship CNS Sichuan departs Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, China, for its first navigation test mission on November 14, 2025.
Type 076 amphibious assault carrier Sichuan (31) leaving her berth assisted by tugs earlier today in Shanghai. Image Chinese state media.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier and the first that it has both designed and built itself equipped with electromagnetic catapults, seen on right at a naval port in Sanya city in southern China's Hainan Province, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
From top to bottom: Chinese aircraft carriers CNS Liaoning, CNS Shandong and CNS Fujian.

Overview

  • The Type 076 Sichuan left Shanghai for its first sea trials, with the PLA saying tests will verify the ship’s power, electrical and other systems after less than a year of fitting out.
  • Sichuan is a 40,000–45,000-ton amphibious assault ship with a full-length flight deck, electromagnetic catapult and arresting gear intended to operate fixed-wing drones, with manned jet operations still unconfirmed.
  • Open-source photos and satellite imagery of the under-construction Type 004 at Dalian show a hull feature resembling a reactor containment structure, suggesting nuclear propulsion though Beijing has not confirmed it.
  • Parallel shipbuilding appears underway, with analysts reporting another carrier under construction at a separate yard as China pursues both conventional and potentially nuclear designs.
  • Following the Fujian’s commissioning, PLA reporting says its electromagnetic catapults have already launched J-35, J-15T and KJ-600 aircraft during initial trials, as officials tout a "three‑carrier era" to bolster sovereignty claims.