America vs Type 075
America vs Type 075 at a glance — displacement 45,693 vs 40,000 tons, length 257 vs 232 m, speed 20 vs 23 knots, crew 1,059 vs 800.
| America | Type 075 | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇨🇳 China |
| Category | Amphibious vessel | Amphibious vessel |
| Type | Amphibious assault ship | Amphibious assault ship |
| Manufacturer | Huntington Ingalls Industries | Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding |
| Year introduced | 2014 | 2021 |
| Number built | 2 units | 4 units |
| Estimated unit price | $3,364 million | NA |
| Displacement | 45,693 tons | 40,000 tons |
| Maximum speed | 20.0 knots | 23.0 knots |
| Length | 257.0 m | 232.0 m |
| Beam | 32.0 m | 36.8 m |
| Crew | 1,059 | 800 |
| America | Type 075 | |
|---|---|---|
| Armament |
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| Propulsion | Two gas turbines, two shafts, with 70,000 bhp (52,000 kW) total; Two 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) auxiliary propulsion engines | -- |
Detailed Comparison
The US Navy's 45,693-ton America-class and the PLAN's 40,000-ton Type 075 function as the primary expeditionary assault platforms for their respective fleets. The baseline America Flight 0 trades surface connectors for aviation volume, while the Type 075 retains a continuous well deck for hovercraft operations alongside its rotary-wing complement.
Development and Design
Huntington Ingalls Industries began delivering the $3.36 billion America class in 2014. The initial Flight 0 hulls (LHA-6 and LHA-7) deliberately omit the well deck, increasing internal volume for aviation fuel, maintenance spaces, and munitions. The flight deck incorporates heavy structural reinforcements to withstand the thermal exhaust generated by F-35B operations.
Hudong-Zhonghua launched the first Type 075 in 2019, building four hulls by 2025. It utilizes a 232-meter flight deck with seven landing spots, two aircraft elevators, and a continuous lower deck. Unlike the Flight 0 America, the Type 075 houses a floodable well deck sized for Type 726 air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC), alongside side-ramp roll-on/roll-off access for armored vehicles.
Weapons and Sensors
The America utilizes a layered kinetic defense network:
- 2x Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) launchers for medium-range interception
- 2x Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers
- 2x Phalanx CIWS
The Type 075 relies on a shorter-range defensive suite:
- 2x HQ-10 SAM launchers
- 2x H/PJ-14 30 mm CIWS
In aviation payload, the America embarks 5th-generation F-35B fighters and MV-22B tiltrotors. The Type 075 lacks fixed-wing STOVL capabilities entirely, restricting its air wing to rotary assets like the Z-20 transport, Z-8 heavy lift, and Z-10 attack helicopters.
Propulsion and Performance
The America utilizes a hybrid-electric system with two gas turbines generating 70,000 bhp, combined with two 5,000 hp auxiliary engines, yielding a top speed of 20 knots. The Type 075, displacing 5,693 fewer tons, is 3 knots faster, achieving a top speed of 23 knots.
Deployment and Combat Record
The US Navy deploys the America forward in the Indo-Pacific. USS America operates frequently in a "Lightning Carrier" configuration, embarking up to 13 F-35Bs during Philippine Sea deployments to test distributed lethality doctrines. The PLAN commissioned the first Type 075, Hainan, in 2021. Hulls assigned to the South Sea and East Sea Fleets conduct regional exercises, including Guangxi's 2023 transit through the Ōsumi Strait to project PLAN amphibious forces beyond the First Island Chain.
Conclusion
The America Flight 0 holds a definitive advantage in sea control, fleet defense, and strike ranges. Its integration of F-35B fighters allows it to act as a light aircraft carrier, contesting airspace and striking targets hundreds of miles inland—capabilities entirely absent from the Type 075. However, in an opposed amphibious landing requiring heavy mechanized forces, the Type 075 executes the traditional surface assault mission more effectively. By omitting the well deck, LHA-6 and LHA-7 cannot deploy main battle tanks or heavy armor via landing craft. The America operates as a specialized aviation strike platform, while the Type 075 delivers higher-volume surface armor projection.