China Launches Fifth Carrier Warship Bringing Fleet to Over 240,000 tons

Chinese shipyards have launchd the country’s fifth carrier warship, and the third of the medium sized Type 075 Class 40,000 ton ships which was completed at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on January 29th. The previous two ships of the class were launched in September 2019 and April 2020, meaning all three were launched in a period of around 16 months. The launch of three Type 075 Class ships followed on from the commissioning of the Liaoning and Shandong Type 001 and Type 001A Class heavy carriers, and brought the total size of the Chinese carrier fleet to over 240,000 tons based on higher estimates of the Type 075’s displacement. The Type 075 Class is of similar size to the French carrier Charles De Gaulle, by far the largest carrier in continual Europe, and can accommodate 20-30 aircraft depending on their size. Its lack of a catapult launch system, a long runway or arresting gear means these ships can only accommodate aircraft with vertical landing capabilities such as helicopters. Fighter aircraft with such capabilities, similar to the U.S. Navy’s Harrier II and F-35B, are also thought to be under development. 

The Type 075 Class ships can also serve as an amphibious assault ships and deploy armour and marines ashore for offensive operations - making them particularly useful for operations in the South and East China Seas amid multiple territorial disputes. The carriers in this respect resemble the U.S. Navy’s America Class ships currently under construction which have very similar roles. Two much larger carriers, which will serve as China’s first supercarriers, are expected to be launched before 2025 - the first possibly before the end of 2021. These Type 002 Class ships will deploy electromagnetic catapult launch systems and much more diverse and formidable air wings placing them on par with the U.S. Navy’s Gerald Ford Class ships - the only other carriers in the world with electromagnetic catapults. The carriers will come at a fraction of the cost of the American ships due in part to their lack of nuclear propulsion systems, meaning they will be less well suited to long rang missions and will likely not be frequently deployed beyond East Asia.