In recent years, domestic netizens seem to have felt aesthetic fatigue with the "dumplings" of domestic warships, but the "fierce material" of aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships is still very attractive. For example, after the Fujian ship conducted an electromagnetic ejection test, the construction of the fourth 075 amphibious assault ship became the focus of attention. Every move of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard, which was responsible for the construction work, marked the official debut of the No. 4 ship of 075 at a certain point in time.
(Yangpu Maritime Safety Bureau's Navigation Ban Notice)
On the afternoon of December 13, the Shanghai Yangpu Maritime Safety Bureau issued two no-sail notices in succession, showing that from 2 to 3 p.m. on the 14th, and from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the 15th, the Pudong side dock of Hudong Shipyard to the front waters of Pier 4 was closed to navigation 500 meters upstream, 1,000 meters downstream, and 350 meters to the west. What really illustrates the problem is that the "operation method" of Circular No. 14 indicates that the newly built ship is undocked, and there are enough seven tugboats to cooperate in the undocking operation.
Generally, when a new ship is launched, at most only three or four tugboats are used, and this time seven ships were dispatched, which shows that the tonnage and volume of this ship are not small, and from the perspective of having a tugboat for backup and vigilance, the degree of secrecy and importance is not low. Combined with the photos showing the completion of the hoisting of the No. 4 ship of 075 about a week ago, it is speculated that the launching operation on the afternoon of the 14th is most likely the No. 4 ship.
(Opinion on foreign social media)
In fact, for the use, function and combat effectiveness of 075, the first 3 Hainan ships, Guangxi ships and Anhui ships have given answers, except for whether the carrier-based aircraft will appear UAVs, there is no mystery at all, so the expectation of the No. 4 ship in addition to its own performance, the biggest suspense is which province will be named. There was news before that the No. 4 ship would be named the Jiangxi ship, and it was rumored that it had a nose and eyes, but it was also rumors that could not be confirmed.
The focus of domestic public opinion is on the naming of the No. 4 ship 075, and the words used are also light-hearted and ridiculous, but foreign public opinion is not so pleasant, with three points of anxiety and two points of disdain in five points of seriousness. For example, India's "Eurasian Times" reported when the 075 No. 4 ship completed the main structure a few days ago, believing that this is the last of the first batch, and may test some new technologies, such as all-electric propulsion, etc., to lay the foundation for the second batch of more advanced amphibious assault ships.
(The construction of the No. 075 No. 4 ship in the dock circulated on the Internet is fine, and from the appearance it is close to completion, and it can be launched to start outfitting)
I am afraid that it is difficult to establish this point mentioned by the Indian media, because if the No. 4 ship is really launched in these days, then the cycle of segmented docking and overall closed construction will be just enough for half a year, which is about the same as the main construction time of a Type 052D destroyer.
It is also reported that Hudong Shipyard has a plan to relocate to Changxing Island, and the No. 1 dock has been completed, and the supporting staff dormitories and commercial streets have been completed, and all the relocation may be completed within half a year to a year. Therefore, the construction of the No. 4 ship has been accelerated, and it is not to cooperate with this relocation plan.
(The 075 first ship, the Hainan ship, has formed combat effectiveness)
Of course, in the eyes of foreign media, these are just "excuses", and what they really care about is how the PLA Navy's three-dimensional combat capability and vertical amphibious landing capability at sea are after having 4 075s. At this point, foreign media generally believe that the 075 plus the Type 071 dock landing ship and the Type 072 and 073 tank landing ships already have the ability to project brigade-level heavy troops, and will inevitably be used in possible battles in the direction of the Taiwan Strait.
Of course, there are also different viewpoints, holding that the PLA is trying to build the world's second largest amphibious combat force to make the Taiwan authorities realize that "resisting reunification by force" will not work, so as to achieve the goal of surrendering the army without a fight. After August 2022, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) believes that the fleet and aircraft group are "besieging the island and besieging the island", and the deterrence of missiles flying over the island of Taiwan is not enough, and to truly defeat the Taiwan authorities and "Taiwan independence" elements psychologically, it is still necessary to rely on the joint operations of all arms of the armed forces, and the amphibious fleet is a key part of it. In addition, it was mentioned that the PLA could use a large ro-ro fleet to quickly cross the strait with a large number of troops and equipment and engage in joint operations or Xi.
(Imaginary images of 075 and 076 on the Internet)
In fact, although the views of these foreign media are still somewhat one-sided, they generally make clear the possible use of the Type 075, that is, to enhance the amphibious combat capability of the PLA, to have sufficient vertical strike capability when launching a landing, and to introduce amphibious operations into a new stage. However, what is really worth noting is that the Type 075 and subsequent Type 076 UAV carriers may be the key to exponentially expanding the PLA's naval and air forces, that is, they may place more emphasis on multi-purpose capabilities, and have amphibious assault ships, helicopter carriers, and even drone carriers, especially the Type 076 ships that are rumored to be equipped with electromagnetic catapults.
Judging from the development trend of UAVs and their possible role in future wars, it may only be a matter of time before UAV carriers emerge in the true sense. Large and medium-sized reconnaissance and combat UAVs, stealth attack UAVs and hypersonic UAVs are currently booming, and their power has also been partially proven in several local wars, and the strike effectiveness, combat efficiency, battlefield adaptation and other aspects are far stronger than traditional armed helicopters, and 075 and 076 will at least carry some UAVs to enhance combat effectiveness.
(Allegedly a drone test on 075)
As for the views of these foreign media, it is not so much that they pay attention to the dynamics of the No. 4 ship of 075, but that they just want to take the opportunity to point fingers at China's internal affairs and even demonize China. Talking about the normal development and improvement of the PLA's equipment, and still having such a "vivid outlook," is nothing more than an old trick of selling anxiety.