China’s Third Aircraft Carrier Nearing Completion - The Role of the Type 075 Class

Reports citing footage of the Shanghai shipyard indicate that China’s third aircraft carrier is nearing completion. The 40,000 ton Type 075 Class is lighter than previous Chinese carriers, with a displacement comparable to the French nuclear powered carrier Charles De Gaulle Class, and is not designed with arresting gear or a ski jump meaning it cannot deploy conventional fixed wing aircraft. While the Chinese Type 001 Class carriers at 70,000 tons closely resemble the Soviet Kuznetsov Class, and the upcoming Type 002 Class appears to be based loosely on the Soviet Ulyanovsk Class supercarrier design, the Type 075 Class resembled the U.S. Navy’s Wasp and America Class assault ships with similar displacements. The warship is designed to accommodate large numbers of Marines and armoured vehicles for amphibious landings, but can also function as a helicopter carrier or an aircraft carrier for specialised vertical landing jets. The American Wasp and America Class ships currently deploy Harrier II and F-35B vertical landing platforms with such capabilities, and China is reportedly looking to develop similar fighters possibly in collaboration with Russia. The Russian Navy for its part appears set to induct lighter carriers with a similar function in the 2020s, and official sources have repeatedly indicated development of a vertical landing capable jet for these ships. Three Type 075 Class carriers are currently under construction, and if equipped with fixed wing aircraft they could provide China with a carrier fleet of seven warships by the mid-2020s.