Thanks for all of your inputs. Learning a lot about LHAs here. Seems like the single catapult serves a more auxiliary purpose then.
Type 076 LHD/LHA discussion
- Thread starter banjex
- Start date
Then why design it with a well deck and vehicle decks?
Those are very significant chunks of internal volume that is very amphib ops specific and of zero use to sustaining aviation ops.
If what you posit were to be the case, the Type 76 would have been designed like the lead-in block of the America Class. No well decks. No vehicle decks. Aviation-centric design with extended hangar, bunker and magazines. Limited amphib role based on what can be injected OTH via the rotary wing (Ospreys/Stallions).
Can a LHD design perform an aviation support role? It's possible. But the ability to do so effectively and in a sustained manner really depends on the internal volume allocation between amphib and aviation.
Form follows Function.
When not on amphibious duty the well deck can hold USV and UUV and the vehicle deck can hold eVTOL drones if there is an elevator to the flight deck. In this way all its facilities could be used for ASW.
You could. Topmost vehicle deck can be designed as multi-purpose with additional height to accommodate aviation assets - Type 76 has 2 elevators. But now you are compromising cargo capacity since one aviation capable multi-purpose deck could have been 2 cargo decks instead. So all decisions are compromise. Don't forget, stuffing the platforms inside the Type 76 doesn't do squat if you do not have sufficient space (vs wasted amphib space) for stores that sustain flight ops.
Why eVTOL? The other thing you need to address is what kind of aviation (manned or unmanned) usage requires an EMCAT and how this impacts what you envision as the type of drones/aircrafts the Type 76 will deploy and therefore how this impacts the role and capability of the Type 76.
ASW? UUVs? Don't even want to go there. It's a big ship but I have no idea how tight a fit it is inside the ship to carve out even more space for the suites required to support/prosecute ASW ops via UUV.
lcloo
Major
Soldiers are trained 999 days for 99 day fighting on the battle field. A navy ship and its crew do the same. When the ship is not sailing, the crew may get leaves to visit families, but most of the time they are still training, on shore and on the ship at berth.
When a LHD is sailing but not doing real amphibious deployment, (They don't do it unless there is war), they are training for practical handling of the ship and theory classes on everything ralated to the ship. If they are idle on their training, the ship's amphibious combat readiness status will be deteriorated from FOC to IOC level or even worst.
Training need to be constantly carry out month after month to prevent loss of skills, and also over the service life of the ship there will be periodical rotation of new fresh seamen with no experiene, horning skill is a must have requirement.
It is alright to send the ship for other deployment, real or simulation training, like acting as buddy or jeep carrier for the real aircraft carrier. After all versatile skill will only help to improve competency of the crew. But an LHA is still an amphibious warfare centric ship and this is where the major capability of the ship is.
So, despite not being deployed for an actual or simulated amphibious exercise, training on every thing related to LHA or specifically the handling of the capability designed into the ship, from handling of catapult to guiding an air cussion craft into the well deck, and acting as the commande centre of an operation etc.
If PLAN wants a light aircraft carrier, they can go for one that is properly designed.
When a LHD is sailing but not doing real amphibious deployment, (They don't do it unless there is war), they are training for practical handling of the ship and theory classes on everything ralated to the ship. If they are idle on their training, the ship's amphibious combat readiness status will be deteriorated from FOC to IOC level or even worst.
Training need to be constantly carry out month after month to prevent loss of skills, and also over the service life of the ship there will be periodical rotation of new fresh seamen with no experiene, horning skill is a must have requirement.
It is alright to send the ship for other deployment, real or simulation training, like acting as buddy or jeep carrier for the real aircraft carrier. After all versatile skill will only help to improve competency of the crew. But an LHA is still an amphibious warfare centric ship and this is where the major capability of the ship is.
So, despite not being deployed for an actual or simulated amphibious exercise, training on every thing related to LHA or specifically the handling of the capability designed into the ship, from handling of catapult to guiding an air cussion craft into the well deck, and acting as the commande centre of an operation etc.
If PLAN wants a light aircraft carrier, they can go for one that is properly designed.
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FriedRiceNSpice
Captain
Generally LHDs do not have the speed to keep up with carrier groups.
I have a hard time seeing that happen. Light carriers generally don't have catapults and without them, modern vessels have to use V/STOL aircraft. These aircraft are nearly useless in the Western Pacific so I can't imagine China designing any in the foreseeable future. Moreover, China has gone all-in on network centric warfare so they're going to want any future carriers to support AWACS aircraft and that's only possible on full sized carriers.
On the flip side, the 076 seems to be a completely new type of warship so it may not have any direct precedent. It's even possible that the PLAN is treating it as a test platform to explore what it can do and to see what lessons can be carried onto future vessels. Given that it doesn't have a slanted deck, I imagine that there are no plans for Sichuan to host any J-15s or J-35s. So it'll be all about carrying UAVs. The catapult will let it launch a lot of different UAVs and allow them to launch with large payloads so it will have a crazy amount of utility.
FriedRiceNSpice
Captain
LHDs generally dont have catapults either. Theres nothing stopping from China from designing a light carrier with a catapult if the PLAN sees value in such a ship.
By the time such a carrier is worthwhile for China's needs, it'll be so big that it won't be a light carrier any more. Arguably, Sichuan is already too big to be a light carrier. And realistically, light carriers are mostly just useful for expeditionary action, and that's a role that I doubt that China has any interest in.
Yes, but an LHD can hang around the rear or the flanks.
ISR aircraft are much faster, and are generally long-range and long-endurance.