The project of the universal landing ship (UDC) of the second generation under the designation 076 was developed by specialists of the Scientific Research Organization of Marine Design and Planning (NIO 708) of the Chinese Shipbuilding Industrial Corporation in the interests of the PLA Navy. According to open sources, this ship will have a length of 290 m, a width of about 65 m and a draft of about 10 m. Due to the increased draft, this ship is not designed for coastal amphibious operations.
Only amphibious landing boats or small amphibious hovercraft of type 726/726A (no more than 3 units) will be able to provide landing forces (Marine Infantry battalion). Transport and landing facilities will be located in the UDC dock chamber, which, if necessary, can be transformed into a two-tier hangar for armored vehicles or into a fireproof compartment for the storage of fuels and lubricants/aviation weapons. According to the design documentation, in order to reduce possible injuries among crew members, the ship's fire extinguishing system will be robotic.
The standard displacement of the universal amphibious assault ship of project 076 will be 48,000 tons, and the full displacement will be 56,000 tons. The ship will have a straight flight deck, which will be equipped with two electromagnetic catapults 120 m long (there are also variants of electromagnetic catapults 80 and 150 m long). One catapult will be placed in the center of the flight deck, and the second one will be offset to the left side. According to Chinese sources, the electromagnetic catapult ensures the safe launch of no more than 24 aircraft every hour.
The length of the flight path of the aircraft during takeoff will be 125 m. It is planned to equip both starting positions with gas-discharge shields. Catapults are designed to launch reconnaissance or reconnaissance-strike unmanned aerial vehicles of the following models:
- CH-7 and GJ-11 (low-profile attack UAVs);
- EA-03 (high-altitude reconnaissance UAV, also known as WZ-9, WZ-2000, BZK-007);
- WZ-100 and CR-500 (helicopter-type attack UAVs with a pine propeller scheme).
UDC of the project 076. Sketch
The UAVs of these models will make it possible to form a multi-level reconnaissance and surveillance system with a maximum combat radius of 1,500 km, capable of operating for 48 hours, due to the fuel reserve in some UAVs. The landing of the UAV on the "beveled" part of the deck will be provided by three brake cables, as well as a special catcher network.
In addition, the project's UDC will house attack helicopters of the WZ-10 and WZ-19 models, anti-submarine HZ-20, as well as transport Z-8L and Z-20. There are 6 positions for simultaneous take-off and landing. In total, up to 40 aircraft (LA) can be placed on the UDC. The movement of the aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar will be provided by two elevators with a lifting capacity of 30 tons each. Such characteristics were set by Chinese designers in order to ensure the simultaneous movement of both the aircraft themselves and aircraft weapons – bombs and missiles.
In order to increase the cruising range, increase comfort and reduce the level of acoustic visibility, the universal landing ship of the 076 project is planned to be equipped with an electric propulsion system.
In order to ensure sufficient electricity, four gas turbine units with a capacity of 21 MW each and 6 diesel generators with a capacity of 6 MW each will be installed on the ship. The total power will be 120 MW and will be distributed between two electromagnetic catapults and two power lines.
The UDC will be able to reach a maximum speed of 25 knots. The optimal speed for flight support will be 22 knots.
According to the design documentation, the ships will receive short-range anti-aircraft missile systems "Marine Red Banner 10" and seven-barreled anti-aircraft guns "Type 730" of 30 mm caliber. In the future, the possibility of equipping the UDC project 076 with laser air defense systems is being considered.
The serial construction of seven universal amphibious assault ships of Project 076 was entrusted to the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding Enterprise located in Shanghai.
Based on the materials of the magazine "Ship armament"
