London: In a newly constructed drydock off the coast of China Changxing Island Located at a shipbuilding base outside Shanghai, the world’s largest amphibious assault ship has been transformed from nothing into an imposing hull that experts say could be launched as soon as 2025.
If this assessment, derived from satellite imagery, proves correct, the construction of China’s first 076-class attack ship — dubbed the “Yunnan” class — will be another reminder of Beijing’s rapid pace of military build-up.
This is bringing one of the world’s largest warships into existence in less time than it currently takes American or European shipyards to retrofit a much smaller older frigate or destroyer.
This will also increase the fears of those who believe that Beijing is now preparing for a major conflict, possibly arising from a deliberate invasion of China. Taiwan,
According to US officials, the Chinese President Xi Jinping China has ordered its military to be ready to carry out that operation by 2027 — a suggestion Beijing has denied — but has not yet made a concrete decision to launch military action.
Built in 2005, the Changxing Island Shipbuilding Base – owned by the state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation – has been a highly ambitious endeavor and is now in its third phase of expansion, which will also see the construction of China’s third aircraft carrier – the “Fujian” – between 2015 and 2022.
That ship’s sea trials began in May — but the speed at which shipyards are now turning out landing ships reflects a dramatic increase in warship construction.
Commercial satellite images show that the drydock where the new 076 class is being built was just opened in October, in what appears to be part of a new dramatic expansion of port facilities.
They build both military and civilian vessels at a pace that is now worrying Beijing’s potential enemies and rivals, particularly the United States – and could give it an edge in any conflict.
The latest images, provided by private satellite company Maxar to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, show it is about 263 meters long and 43 meters wide (867 by 142 feet) — slightly smaller than an aircraft carrier such as the USS Nimitz or Ford class or China’s new Fujian — but much larger than equivalent strike ships like the new USS America class.
Like the “America” class, the new 076 is also capable of carrying troops and landing craft, as well as drones and fighter jets. It will be able to conduct amphibious assaults by taking on water from inside its hull, as well as potentially conduct airborne operations with catapults and helicopters.
Since 2019, China has launched four such ships of the slightly smaller 075 class, with two declared combat-ready last year and another four on order.
This production rate is beginning to worry US counterparts. In terms of raw tonnage in terms of warships, the US Navy is much larger than its Chinese counterpart. Overall, the US has nearly three million metric tons of warships weighing 1,000 tons or more, while China has barely a third of that.
This includes 10 nuclear aircraft carriers and their battle groups – all larger and more powerful than the three aircraft carriers China has so far. Only Beijing’s fourth aircraft carrier, currently under construction, is expected to be nuclear-powered, giving it far more capabilities.
The United States also has a large force of nuclear-powered submarines, including ballistic missile-carrying submarines able to remain invisible for months, and attack submarines carrying small torpedoes and cruise missiles.
Still, when it comes to numbers of warships, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, China now surpasses the US as the world’s largest navy, with 234 ships weighing more than 1,000 tons, while the Americans have 219. China also now has more combat logistics and support vessels than the US military: 167 versus 126.
American strategists are worried
This has started worrying American strategists.
While the U.S. Navy is spread around the globe, including two aircraft carriers deployed to the Middle East in case of a conflict between Israel and Iran, Beijing’s forces are primarily focused on its immediate neighborhood — and that would be even more true in a war.
Any rotation there would involve not just warships, but also elements of China’s coast guard and maritime militia — ranging from fishing boats to huge ferries used as military vessels.
What troubles those in Washington even more, however, is Beijing’s ability to build and repair ships.
A recently declassified slide released by the US Naval Intelligence Agency estimates that China’s total shipbuilding capability is now 632 times greater than that of the US Navy.
US officials have warned that Beijing could call upon dozens of shipyards larger and more efficient than the Huntingdon Ingalls facility, the largest US military shipyard in Newport News, Virginia.
Beijing has now significantly outpaced the US as far as warships are concerned.
Between 2003 and 2023, China has doubled its guided missile destroyer fleet to 42. Over the past 10 years, it has launched 23 new destroyers, while the US has built only 11. Since 2017, China has built eight guided missile cruisers, while the US has completed none.
That naval production capacity is supported by a large civilian shipbuilding sector.
In 1999, Chinese shipyards accounted for just five percent of merchant shipping tonnage ordered globally each year. Now, that proportion is over 50 percent, with Chinese yards attracting nearly 60 percent of new merchant ship orders last year.
In contrast, the United States builds just 15–25 new merchant ships each year, less than five percent of total global production.
China has also reduced the dominance of Japanese and Korean shipyards, which once held more than half of the global market but lost just 40 percent last year, trade data shows. United Nations,
Industrial repair battle
US commanders believe they still have a technological edge over the Chinese navy in many areas.
Recent wargames carried out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies based on a Chinese invasion of Taiwan showed that Beijing lost 52 major surface warships, while the US suffered losses of only seven to 10 warships.
However, those combat exercises showed that China was more capable of absorbing these losses than the US, as it had a much larger fleet and greater repair capability.
In addition to limited facilities in Japan, which could be vulnerable to Chinese attack, the U.S. would need to tow seriously damaged warships back to Hawaii or San Diego — a long trip across the Pacific Ocean — for repairs.
From next year the US will begin testing warship repairs at friendly Asian port cities – most likely South Korea and Japan, though India’s shipbuilding facilities have also been touted as a potentially invaluable resource in a major conflict.
U.S. commanders are also focusing closely on fighting the Russian invaders in Ukraine, specifically using missiles and unmanned drones to sink most of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and force the remainder to retreat forcefully from the war zone.
The Pentagon’s Project Replicator, announced last year, aims to mass-produce the latest unmanned systems in case of any major war with China. It would effectively create a parallel production pipeline capable of operating much faster than existing defense manufacturing facilities.
Such technology could tip the balance in America’s favour – but Beijing is also investing in such systems, and would be fighting in its own backyard.
As retired US Navy Capt. Sam Tangredi wrote in a US naval journal in January 2023, “The side with the most ships almost always wins.”
The United States is moving into uncharted territory in Southeast Asia, and Beijing is betting that its sheer force of numbers can help it win any conflict — or even achieve its goals without firing a shot.
If this assessment, derived from satellite imagery, proves correct, the construction of China’s first 076-class attack ship — dubbed the “Yunnan” class — will be another reminder of Beijing’s rapid pace of military build-up.
This is bringing one of the world’s largest warships into existence in less time than it currently takes American or European shipyards to retrofit a much smaller older frigate or destroyer.
This will also increase the fears of those who believe that Beijing is now preparing for a major conflict, possibly arising from a deliberate invasion of China. Taiwan,
According to US officials, the Chinese President Xi Jinping China has ordered its military to be ready to carry out that operation by 2027 — a suggestion Beijing has denied — but has not yet made a concrete decision to launch military action.
Built in 2005, the Changxing Island Shipbuilding Base – owned by the state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation – has been a highly ambitious endeavor and is now in its third phase of expansion, which will also see the construction of China’s third aircraft carrier – the “Fujian” – between 2015 and 2022.
That ship’s sea trials began in May — but the speed at which shipyards are now turning out landing ships reflects a dramatic increase in warship construction.
Commercial satellite images show that the drydock where the new 076 class is being built was just opened in October, in what appears to be part of a new dramatic expansion of port facilities.
They build both military and civilian vessels at a pace that is now worrying Beijing’s potential enemies and rivals, particularly the United States – and could give it an edge in any conflict.
The latest images, provided by private satellite company Maxar to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, show it is about 263 meters long and 43 meters wide (867 by 142 feet) — slightly smaller than an aircraft carrier such as the USS Nimitz or Ford class or China’s new Fujian — but much larger than equivalent strike ships like the new USS America class.
Like the “America” class, the new 076 is also capable of carrying troops and landing craft, as well as drones and fighter jets. It will be able to conduct amphibious assaults by taking on water from inside its hull, as well as potentially conduct airborne operations with catapults and helicopters.
Since 2019, China has launched four such ships of the slightly smaller 075 class, with two declared combat-ready last year and another four on order.
This production rate is beginning to worry US counterparts. In terms of raw tonnage in terms of warships, the US Navy is much larger than its Chinese counterpart. Overall, the US has nearly three million metric tons of warships weighing 1,000 tons or more, while China has barely a third of that.
This includes 10 nuclear aircraft carriers and their battle groups – all larger and more powerful than the three aircraft carriers China has so far. Only Beijing’s fourth aircraft carrier, currently under construction, is expected to be nuclear-powered, giving it far more capabilities.
The United States also has a large force of nuclear-powered submarines, including ballistic missile-carrying submarines able to remain invisible for months, and attack submarines carrying small torpedoes and cruise missiles.
Still, when it comes to numbers of warships, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, China now surpasses the US as the world’s largest navy, with 234 ships weighing more than 1,000 tons, while the Americans have 219. China also now has more combat logistics and support vessels than the US military: 167 versus 126.
American strategists are worried
This has started worrying American strategists.
While the U.S. Navy is spread around the globe, including two aircraft carriers deployed to the Middle East in case of a conflict between Israel and Iran, Beijing’s forces are primarily focused on its immediate neighborhood — and that would be even more true in a war.
Any rotation there would involve not just warships, but also elements of China’s coast guard and maritime militia — ranging from fishing boats to huge ferries used as military vessels.
What troubles those in Washington even more, however, is Beijing’s ability to build and repair ships.
A recently declassified slide released by the US Naval Intelligence Agency estimates that China’s total shipbuilding capability is now 632 times greater than that of the US Navy.
US officials have warned that Beijing could call upon dozens of shipyards larger and more efficient than the Huntingdon Ingalls facility, the largest US military shipyard in Newport News, Virginia.
Beijing has now significantly outpaced the US as far as warships are concerned.
Between 2003 and 2023, China has doubled its guided missile destroyer fleet to 42. Over the past 10 years, it has launched 23 new destroyers, while the US has built only 11. Since 2017, China has built eight guided missile cruisers, while the US has completed none.
That naval production capacity is supported by a large civilian shipbuilding sector.
In 1999, Chinese shipyards accounted for just five percent of merchant shipping tonnage ordered globally each year. Now, that proportion is over 50 percent, with Chinese yards attracting nearly 60 percent of new merchant ship orders last year.
In contrast, the United States builds just 15–25 new merchant ships each year, less than five percent of total global production.
China has also reduced the dominance of Japanese and Korean shipyards, which once held more than half of the global market but lost just 40 percent last year, trade data shows. United Nations,
Industrial repair battle
US commanders believe they still have a technological edge over the Chinese navy in many areas.
Recent wargames carried out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies based on a Chinese invasion of Taiwan showed that Beijing lost 52 major surface warships, while the US suffered losses of only seven to 10 warships.
However, those combat exercises showed that China was more capable of absorbing these losses than the US, as it had a much larger fleet and greater repair capability.
In addition to limited facilities in Japan, which could be vulnerable to Chinese attack, the U.S. would need to tow seriously damaged warships back to Hawaii or San Diego — a long trip across the Pacific Ocean — for repairs.
From next year the US will begin testing warship repairs at friendly Asian port cities – most likely South Korea and Japan, though India’s shipbuilding facilities have also been touted as a potentially invaluable resource in a major conflict.
U.S. commanders are also focusing closely on fighting the Russian invaders in Ukraine, specifically using missiles and unmanned drones to sink most of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and force the remainder to retreat forcefully from the war zone.
The Pentagon’s Project Replicator, announced last year, aims to mass-produce the latest unmanned systems in case of any major war with China. It would effectively create a parallel production pipeline capable of operating much faster than existing defense manufacturing facilities.
Such technology could tip the balance in America’s favour – but Beijing is also investing in such systems, and would be fighting in its own backyard.
As retired US Navy Capt. Sam Tangredi wrote in a US naval journal in January 2023, “The side with the most ships almost always wins.”
The United States is moving into uncharted territory in Southeast Asia, and Beijing is betting that its sheer force of numbers can help it win any conflict — or even achieve its goals without firing a shot.
