A nice, but completely speculative, illustration of the ship’s potential layout.
Type 076 LHD/LHA discussion
- Thread starter banjex
- Start date
The Type 076 is immense for a LHA. An aircraft carrier in all but name.
No, it's an amphibious assault ship because that is the role it fulfills.
The fact that it's larger than an Essex does not make it a carrier, any more than a Flanker's outsizing of a B-17 makes it a bomber.
I agree it is a landing dock. But we are uncertain of its exact role.
There has never been an amphibious assault ship with a catapult.
The Liaoning being birthed officially as a cruiser did not make it one at launch.
lcloo
Major
Ex-Varyag was officially designated as a "heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser" (тяжёлый авианесущий крейсер, TAKR or TAVKR) by the Soviet Navy. This classification allowed it to carry both aircraft and P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles, similar to the Kirov-class battlecruisers. The designation was strategic—it enabled the ship to bypass restrictions under the Montreux Convention, which limits aircraft carriers over 15,000 tons from passing through the Turkish Straits.
If they designate it as an aircraft carrier, it will never sail out of the Black Sea due to restriction of Montreux Convention.
After reaching Dalian port and out of bounds of Montreux convention, it was "re-born" as aircraft carrier named PLANS Liaoning.
If they designate it as an aircraft carrier, it will never sail out of the Black Sea due to restriction of Montreux Convention.
After reaching Dalian port and out of bounds of Montreux convention, it was "re-born" as aircraft carrier named PLANS Liaoning.
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That catapult is simply helping any fixed wing aircraft to take off with limited space on the deck of a ship, just like ski jump or any aircraft’s own built-in component (like F-35B or Harrier) that helps fixed wing aircraft to take off. There are many assault ships with ski jumps or operating aircrafts that had short take off abilities. I’m sure if Italy has an unlimited budget and the manufacturing capacity of producing catapults, they would choose catapults over ski jumps too. At the end of the day, it’s all about money and capabilities.
Might as well make it an angled deck, which shouldn't add too much weight.
