assault

BARCELONA, Spain — Spanish prosecutors are studying allegations that Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias sexually assaulted two former employees at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

The Spanish prosecutor’s office told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the allegations were related to media reports from earlier this week that alleged Iglesias had sexually and physically assaulted two women who worked in his Caribbean residences between January and October 2021.

Iglesias has yet to speak publicly regarding the allegations. Russell L. King, a Miami-based entertainment lawyer who lists Iglesias as a client on his website, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by the AP.

The Spanish prosecutor’s office that handles cases for Spain’s National Court said that it had received formal allegations against Iglesias by an unnamed party on Jan. 5. Iglesias could potentially be taken in front of the Madrid-based court, which can try alleged crimes by Spanish citizens while they are abroad, according to the court’s press office.

‘Forced labor and servitude’

Women’s Link Worldwide, a nongovernmental organization, said in a statement that it was representing the two women who had presented the complaint to the Spanish court. The group said that the women were accusing Iglesias of “crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity such as sexual harassment” and of “human trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and servitude.”

The organization said the women in their testimony also accused Iglesias of regularly checking their cellphones, of prohibiting them from leaving the house where they worked and demanding that they work up to 16 hours a day, with no contract or days off.

The organization said it did not reach out to authorities in the Bahamas or the Dominican Republic, and that it didn’t know whether authorities in those Caribbean nations had initiated an investigation.

Gema Fernández, senior attorney at Women’s Link Worldwide, said in an online news conference Wednesday that “Spanish legislation regarding sexual violence, gender-based violence and trafficking could be an interesting option” for the two women making the allegations against Iglesias.

“Listening to what [the two women] are seeking and their definitions of justice, it seems to us that filing a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court of Spain was the path that best suited their definition of justice. That is why we are supporting them along this path,” Fernández said.

Jovana Ríos Cisneros, executive director of Women’s Link Worldwide, asserted that Spanish prosecutors had decided to take statements from the two women and granted them the status of protected witnesses.

“Being heard by the Prosecutor’s Office is a very important step in the search for justice,” she said.

Fernández said prosecutors had not set a date to take statements from the women and noted that prosecutors have up to six months to determine whether the information they receive warrants a criminal prosecution. Those six months could be extended to a year, she added.

The prosecutor’s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

A singer under scrutiny

Spanish online newspaper elDiario.es and Spanish-language television channel Univision Noticias published the joint investigation into Iglesias’ alleged misconduct.

Ríos said the two women initially contacted elDiario.es, which began investigating the allegations but also advised the women to seek legal help.

Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz said that the media reports regarding Iglesias “demanded respect.”

“Once again I can reaffirm this government’s firm and complete commitment to take on any act of violence, harassment or aggression against women,” Saiz said Tuesday after the media reports were published.

Panky Corcino, spokesman for the attorney general’s office in the Dominican Republic, declined to comment, saying he couldn’t confirm or deny an investigation.

By law, any case in the Caribbean country that involves sexual aggression or violence must be investigated by prosecutors, even if no one has filed a complaint.

The 82-year-old Iglesias is one of the world’s most successful musical artists after having sold more than 300 million records in more than a dozen languages. After making his start in Spain, he won immense popularity in the United States and wider world in the 1970s and ’80s. He’s the father of pop singer Enrique Iglesias.

Julio Iglesias won a 1988 Grammy for best Latin pop performance for his album “Un Hombre Solo.” He also received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in 2019.

Spain’s culture minister said Wednesday that its left-wing government, which holds women’s rights and equality among its priorities, will also consider stripping Iglesias of the state’s Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts, which he was awarded in 2010.

“It is something we are studying and evaluating, because evidently we feel obliged to do so when faced by such a serious case,” Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said.

Wilson and Coto write for the Associated Press. Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press reporters Suman Naishadham in Madrid and Martín Adames in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, contributed to this report.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland was arrested early Monday after police said he assaulted a ride-share driver in Hollywood.

Sutherland was arrested on suspicion of criminal threats after officers responded to reports of an assault on a driver in Hollywood in the early hours of Monday.

The “24” and “Stand by Me” actor, 59, was taken into custody after Los Angeles police answered a radio call about 12:15 a.m. about an assault near Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, a Police Department spokesperson said in a statement.

“The investigation determined that the suspect, later identified as Kiefer Sutherland, entered a rideshare vehicle, physically assaulted the driver (the victim) and made criminal threats toward the victim,” according to an LAPD statement.

Sutherland was arrested at the scene and booked into the LAPD jail and later released on $50,000 bail with a court date set for Feb. 2, records show.

According to Los Angeles police, the driver did not sustain any injuries requiring medical treatment at the scene.

The investigation into the incident by Hollywood Division detectives remains ongoing. His representatives did not immediately respond to a call from The Times for a statement.

Sutherland is best known for playing Jack Bauer in the Fox drama “24” and President Tom Kirkman in “Designated Survivor,” after decades of big box-office movies including “The Lost Boys” “Flatliners” and “A Few Good Men.”

The Canadian actor has had previous run-ins with the law, including drunk driving charges in 2004 and 2007. The Golden Globe winner spent 48 days in jail in 2007 for driving under the influence and a probation violation. There was also an assault charge in 2009 that was later dropped. He was most recently arrested in 2020 on suspicion of DUI after making an illegal U-turn in Hollywood.

Record executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid has settled a sexual assault lawsuit from former employee Drew Dixon, avoiding a jury trial that was set to begin Monday.

In 2023, Dixon filed a lawsuit under the New York Adult Survivors Act, alleging abuse from Reid including sexual harassment, assault and retaliation while she worked under him as an A&R representative at Arista Records.

Dixon alleged in her suit that Reid “digitally penetrated her vulva without her consent” on a private plane in 2001, and groped and kissed her against her will in another incident months later. She claims in her suit that Reid retaliated against her after she spurned his advances, berating her in front of staff after she brought in a young Kanye West for a label audition.

Reid said in court filings that he “adamantly denies the allegations,” but they contributed to the former mogul’s declining reputation within the music industry, after Reid left Epic Records in 2017 following separate claims of harassment.

Reid’s attorney Imran H. Ansari said in a statement to The Times that “Mr. Reid has amicably resolved this matter with Ms. Dixon without any admission of liability.” Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

In a statement to The Times, Dixon said that “I hope my work as an advocate for the Adult Survivors Act helps to bring us closer to a safer music business for everyone. In a world where good news is often hard to find, I hope for survivors that today is a ray of light peeking through the clouds. Music has always been my greatest source of comfort and joy. Even as a kid, I had an uncanny knack for predicting the next cool artist or album, the more eclectic the better. While I have focused on sexual assault advocacy in recent years, I have never stopped fighting for my place in this industry.”

The jury trial was slated to have testimony from some high-profile figures including John Legend, whom Dixon had tried to sign to the label. Dixon also accused the Def Jam mogul Russell Simmons of sexual assault in a 2017 New York Times article and in the 2020 documentary “On The Record.”

SARAH Hyland’s ex-boyfriend and Disney Channel actor Matt Prokop has been arrested on various charges including child abuse images.

Prokop, who featured in High School Musical 3 and Geek Charming was taken into police custody in Texas on Christmas Eve.

The 35-year-old remains behind bars without bail and faces numerous charges including possession or promotion of child abuse images, evading arrest or detention, and violation of bond.

According to E! News he remains at Victoria County Sheriff’s Office Jail and bail is set at $117,500.

His arrest came after he allegedly violated his bond conditions from charges filed against him in 2024.

In May that year he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend which resulted in him being charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

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Prokop previously dated Modern Family star Sarah Hyland which saw her get a restraining order against him for three years after it ended in 2014.

The child actor claimed he was physically and verbally abusive to her during their tumultuous five-year relationship.

After obtaining court documents, E! News previously reported that Hyland accused him of pinning her against a car and choking her during an argument.

“His grip was so tight that I could not breathe or speak,” she said in the court docs, per the news outlet.

“I was scared and in fear for my life.”

Julie Bowen who played Claire Dunphy, Hyland’s character’s mother in ABC sitcom, was pivotal in helping her leave the relationship, she said.

Hyland claimed in the restraining order filing that the help from her co-star to leave the relationship saw Prokop threaten to kill her dog and set her house on fire.

“I don’t know if that part [of] any woman will ever be fully healed from that,” Hyland said in a rare comment about her previous relationship in 2024.

“It’s something that kind of scars her soul a little bit. It’s more so putting love towards that scar instead of hating it and ignoring it,” she told Variety.

As well as High School Musical and Geek Charming, Prokop has featured in various children’s shows including Hannah Montana and Good Luck Charlie.

After the December 24 arrest, he faces four misdemeanor charges and one second-degree felony charge for the alleged possession of child abuse images.

It is unclear when he will appear in court.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4452.

All calls are toll-free and confidential. Both hotlines are available 24/7 in over 170 languages.

U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife were flown first to the U.S. Navy’s Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima following their capture overnight. TWZ had highlighted the high likelihood that the Iwo Jima had played a central role in last night’s operation in our initial reporting, where readers can otherwise first get up to speed on the details that are known so far.

Trump shared new details about the operation while speaking by phone earlier this morning with Fox News.

“Yes, the Iwo Jima,” Trump said when asked if Maduro and his wife had been taken first to a ship. “They’re on a ship, and they’ll be heading into New York.”

As TWZ previously wrote:

“With what appears to be a very large contingent of 160th SOAR [the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment] helicopters spearheading this operation, it seems likely that the USS Iwo Jima would be used to support them, especially as much of this ship’s air wing has been moved ashore. The special operations mothership M/V Ocean Trader is also a critical part of this effort as it has been in the region for months and sailing with the Iwo Jima, but its ability to support many helicopters is much more limited than an amphibious assault ship.”

“He was in a house that was more like a fortress than a house. It had steel doors, it had what they call a safety space, where it’s solid steel all around,” according to Trump. “He was trying to get into it, but he got bum rushed so fast that he didn’t.”

Trump noted that U.S. forces had “blowtorches” and other equipment they were prepared to use if Maduro had been able to make it into that secure space. It has previously been reported that members of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force were in the lead on the ground.

“I think we had nobody killed … [but] a couple of guys were hit” and a helicopter was hit “pretty hard,” Trump added, but did not elaborate. Details about casualties on either side of the operation remain limited.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it.” Trump also told Fox News. “We were prepared to do a second wave. We were all set — and this was so lethal, this was so powerful, that we didn’t have to.”

Other details about the full U.S. force package involved in the operation in Venezuela are still emerging. This includes a picture now circulating online showing a new addition to U.S. forces in Puerto Rico, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors. The U.S. military has been building up a large array of air, naval, and ground assets in the region for months now, which TWZ has been tracking closely.

NEW YORK — By nearly any measure, 2025 has been a rough year for anyone concerned about freedom of the press.

It’s likely to be the deadliest year on record for journalists and media workers. The number of assaults on reporters in the U.S. nearly equals the last three years combined. The president of the United States berates many who ask him questions, calling one woman “piggy.” And the ranks of those doing the job continues to thin.

It’s hard to think of a darker time for journalists. So say many, including Timothy Richardson, a former Washington Post reporter and now program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America. “It’s safe to say this assault on the press over the past year has probably been the most aggressive that we’ve seen in modern times.”

Tracking killings and assaults against journalists

Worldwide, the 126 media industry people killed in 2025 by early December matched the number of deaths in all of 2024, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and last year was a record-setter. Israel’s bombing of Gaza accounted for 85 of those deaths, 82 of them Palestinians.

“It’s extremely concerning,” said Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of the Committee to Protect Journalists. “Unfortunately, it’s not just, of course, about the sheer numbers of journalists and media workers killed, it’s also about the failure to obtain justice or get accountability for those killings.

“What we know from decades of doing this work is that impunity breeds impunity,” she said. “So a failure to tackle journalists’ killings creates an environment where those killings continue.”

The committee estimates there are at least 323 journalists imprisoned worldwide.

None of those killed this year were from the United States. But the work on American soil has still been dangerous. There have been 170 reports of assaults on journalists in the United States this year, 160 of them at the hands of law enforcement, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Many of those reports came from coverage of immigration enforcement efforts.

It’s impossible to look past the influence of Trump, who frequently seethes with anger at the press while simultaneously interacting with journalists more than any president in memory — frequently answering their cell phone calls.

“Trump has always attacked the press,” Richardson said. “But during the second term, he’s turned that into government action to restrict and punish and intimidate journalists.”

Journalists learn quickly they have a fight on their hands

The Associated Press learned that quickly, when Trump limited the outlet’s access to cover him after it refused to follow his lead to rename the Gulf of Mexico. It launched a court fight that has remained unresolved. Trump has also extracted settlements from ABC and CBS News in lawsuits over stories that displeased him, and is suing the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Long angry about a perceived bias against conservatives on PBS and NPR newscasts, Trump and his allies in Congress successfully cut funding for public broadcasting as a whole. The president has also moved to shut down government-run organizations that beam news to all parts of the world.

“The U.S. is a major investor in media development, in independent media outlets in countries that have little or no independent media, or as a source of information for people in countries where there is no free media,” Ginsberg said. “The evisceration of Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America is another blow to press freedom globally.”

Others in his administration take Trump’s lead, like when his press office chose the day after Thanksgiving to launch a web portal to complain about outlets or journalists being unfair.

“It’s part of this overall strategy that we’re seeing from certain governments, notably the United States, to paint all journalists who don’t simply [repeat] the narrative put out by the government as fake news, as dubious, as dodgy, as criminal,” Ginsberg said.

Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has portrayed journalists as dark figures skulking around Pentagon halls to uncover classified secrets as his rationale for enacting restrictive rules for coverage.

That’s led to the most notable example of journalists fighting back: most mainstream news outlets gave up their credentials to work in the Pentagon rather than agree to these rules, and are still breaking stories while working off-site. The New York Times has sued to overturn the rules. The newspaper also publicly defends itself when attacked by the president, such as when he complained about its coverage of his health.

Despite the more organized effort against the press, the public has taken little notice. The Pew Research Center said that 36% of Americans reported earlier this year hearing a lot about the Trump administration’s relationship with the press, compared to 72% who said that at the same point in his first term.

Pew’s polling shows that trust in news organizations has declined over the last decade, and journalists are likely to elicit little sympathy when their work becomes harder.

“Really, the harm falls on the public with so much of this because the public depends on this independent reporting to understand and scrutinize the decisions that are being made by the most powerful office in the world,” Richardson said.

Some reasons for optimism

The news industry as a whole is more than two decades in to a retrenchment caused largely by a collapse in the advertising market, and every year brings more reports of journalists laid off as a result. One of the year’s most sobering statistics came in a report by the organizations Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News: in 2002, there were 40 journalists for every 100,000 people in the United States; by this year, it was down to a little more than eight.

Asked if they could find reasons for optimism, both Ginsberg and Richardson pointed to the rise of some independent local news organizations, shoots of growth in a barren landscape, such as the Baltimore Banner, Charlottesville Tomorrow in Virginia and Outlier Media in Michigan.

As much as they are derided in Trump’s America, reporters at mainstream media outlets are still working hard and able to set the nation’s agenda with their reporting, noted influential Axios CEO Jim VandeHei in a recent column.

As he told the AP: “Over time, people will hopefully come to their senses and say, ‘Hey, the media like anything else is imperfect but, man, it’s a nice thing to have a free press.’”

Bauder writes for the Associated Press.

An actor who appeared in Tyler Perry’s “Boo! A Madea Halloween” allegedly confided in the media mogul about health concerns and financial woes months before filing a $77-million sexual assault lawsuit against the billionaire actor-director last week.

The actor, identified in court documents as Mario Rodriguez, sued Perry on Thursday for sexual assault and sexual battery in connection to multiple alleged encounters from 2015 and 2019. The 23-page civil complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that Rodriguez cut off contact with Perry in 2019 and that through 2024 the director “would randomly reach out to Mr. Rodriguez.”

Screenshots of text messages, obtained by several outlets including the Associated Press, seem to show otherwise.

Rodriguez initiated text conversations with Perry as recently as August of this year. In a statement Monday, Rodriguez said “people are pointing to messages where I was polite, grateful, or vulnerable — and trying to use that to discredit me.”

“Survivors often stay cordial. They often ask for help when they feel desperate,” he added. “That does not mean abuse didn’t happen. Those text messages were sent to Perry at a time when I was especially vulnerable as can be seen from the context.”

The Associated Press reported Monday that Rodriguez expressed gratitude to Perry in a message sent during Thanksgiving 2024. “Just know that I love you and I thank you for everything, I appreciate you to the moon,” Rodriguez said in one message, according to screenshots published Monday by TMZ.

In a separate string of texts sent Aug. 31, Rodriguez informed Perry of his ongoing health issues, adding that he did not have health insurance. “I know I promised you I would never ask you for anything, but if it is what I think it is, I don’t think I could do it on my own because I barely pay my bills,” Rodriguez said in one message, according to TMZ.

“I just can’t go to the doctor because I can’t even afford it,” Rodriguez said in another August text message. “I don’t want anything. I just wanna be OK. Scared brother.”

Perry attorney Alex Spiro said Monday in a statement: “I said it before and I’ll say it again. This is nothing but a 77 million dollar money grab scam.”

The Rodriguez suit comes after “The Oval” actor Derek Dixon sued Perry in June, alleging quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual battery, retaliation and more. Dixon is seeking $260 million in damages.

Rodriguez alleges in his lawsuit that Perry, 56, leveraged his Hollywood stature “to abuse and sexually assault people who hope to secure roles in his movies,” echoing claims Dixon made in his June filing. Rodriguez also alleges that Perry did not rehire him for further projects because he rejected the director’s sexual advances. Rodriguez and Dixon are both represented by attorney Jonathan J. Delshad.

According to the new lawsuit, Rodriguez started out as a model before a trainer approached him at a luxury gym in 2015 and put him in contact with Perry for a potential role in “Boo! A Madea Halloween.” Before Rodriguez auditioned and secured the minor role, Perry allegedly informed him, “I’m not a bad person to know and have in your corner” and touted the idea of more roles in the future.

The lawsuit alleges the mogul first sexually assaulted Rodriguez in Perry’s Los Angeles home in 2015. The two began drinking together before Perry invited the actor-model to his home theater to watch a movie, the document says. Perry, who instructed Rodriguez to leave his phone in the kitchen, allegedly asked the actor about his personal life and proceeded to hug him and compliment his appearance. He allegedly began rubbing Rodriguez’s shoulders and chest while making sexual noises, the lawsuit said. After Rodriguez attempted to distance himself, Perry allegedly continued touching the actor, “rubbing his inner thigh right next to his penis,” the complaint says.

The filmmaker’s sexual assaults persisted, the lawsuit alleges, in the years after he and Rodriguez wrapped the “Madea” film in 2016. Rodriguez returned to L.A. and stayed in contact with Perry, who invited Rodriguez to visit his home again to discuss future projects, the filing says.

“After a couple of visits, Mr. Perry then again began to make more sexual comments to Mr. Rodriguez” about his appearance, “and to ask him graphic sexual questions” including whether he had ever had sex with another man, the lawsuit says. Perry allegedly grabbed Rodriguez’s leg near his genitals again, the complaint says.

In November 2018, Rodriguez accepted another invitation from Perry to discuss a potential role in the TV series “The Oval.” They met for dinner in Beverly Hills, where Perry allegedly asked “So what are we? What are we doing?” before the director instructed Rodriguez to meet him at his Los Angeles home later that evening.

Conversations about potential collaborations took a sexual turn, the lawsuit says, when Perry asked Rodriguez whether he liked oral sex and if he had given oral sex to a man. Perry allegedly tightly hugged Rodriguez, tried to unbuckle the actor’s pants, reached into his underwear and grabbed his penis, according to the complaint. Before Rodriguez left Perry’s home in a rideshare, the filmmaker placed $5,000 in his pocket, the suit says.

Perry continued to invite Rodriguez to his Los Angeles home under the guise of work and sexually assaulted the actor over the following months, the lawsuit says. After another incident in April 2019, the suit says, Rodriguez stopped communicating with Perry.

Perry allegedly became infuriated by Rodriguez’s efforts to keep his distance and sent the actor expletive-filled texts. The lawsuit includes screenshots of the alleged exchanges, including one in which Rodriguez apologizes for not staying in touch with the director due to personal matters.

“I deserve a text at [least] once a month,” Perry texted Rodriguez, according to the lawsuit. He also asked the actor about his physical training and requested to see pictures, the complaint said.

Regarding his surfaced texts to Perry, Rodriguez added in his statement that “continued financial support and access are not inconsistent with abuse — they are often part of the power dynamics that follow it.”

He added: “The existence of financial assistance does not disprove harm. It is entirely consistent with the complex realities survivors face after abuse.”

Rodriguez also sued Perry for intentional infliction of emotional distress and sued “Boo! A Madea Halloween” distributor Lionsgate for negligent retention.

An image has emerged that appears to show, for the first time, one of China’s growing series of low-observable combat drones aboard the country’s super-sized Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan. The development is in line with previous predictions that this vessel will be capable of supporting high-end aerial drone operations as well as traditional amphibious assaults.

The image in question began to circulate recently online and shows the rear portion of the drone on the deck of the Sichuan, partly obscured by one of the vessel’s twin island superstructures. The characteristic twin, outward-canted tailfins of the drone suggest that this is a navalized version of the design that has been informally dubbed Type C by Chinese aerospace observers. It is part of a collection of aircraft that are considered to be broad Chinese equivalents of the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

While the image appears to be genuine, it should be considered at least possible that the drone in question is a mockup. China makes considerable use of aircraft mockups, on land and at sea, to assist with the development and subsequent service introduction of aircraft carriers and assault ships.

The so-called Type C is a subsonic CCA or “loyal wingman”-type drone. Its key features include a swept lambda wing planform, the aforementioned canted tail fins, an internal stores bay, and a single jet engine fed by a dorsal intake. Overall, in terms of configuration, it has some similarities with the U.S.-made XQ-58A Valkyrie, but it is much larger. According to unconfirmed reports, it is said to be optimized for air-to-ground missions, although intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare would also be likely roles. The Type C is one of at least four new CCA-type drones that were publicly unveiled at the parade celebrating 80 years since the defeat of Japan in World War II, held in Beijing on September 3, 2025.

It would make a good deal of sense for the drone to now be evaluated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) onboard the Sichuan. As you can read about here, the first of the Type 076 assault ship left port for its first sea trials last month.

Thanks to its electromagnetically-powered catapult, the 44,000-ton Type 076 is unlike any other big deck amphibious warship in terms of the kind of air wing that it can accommodate, which is expected to be dominated by uncrewed types.

Previously, Type 076’s air wing was expected to include naval versions of the GJ-11 stealthy flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), sometimes known as the GJ-21. This theory was supported by apparent GJ-11 mockups that appeared at a test and/or training site right on Changxing Island in Shanghai, very close to where the Type 076 was being built. This may well still be the case, but it now looks like a navalized Type C drone will at least supplement it.

The navalized GJ-11 is expected to operate primarily from China’s true aircraft carriers, including the catapult-equipped Fujian, which was commissioned last month. This carrier is expected to be followed by six more by 2035, according to a Pentagon report, which would provide the PLAN with a total of nine. Recent imagery indicates that China is now progressing with work on its fourth flattop, which is expected to introduce nuclear propulsion.

Returning to the Sichuan, in addition to drones, the warship will accommodate various helicopters, and very likely also a crewed tiltrotor aircraft, which is now in flight testing.

While we don’t yet know whether the Type C has been launched from the Sichuan, there have already been signs of preparations for flight trials. Shortly before the vessel left port for the first time, full markings had been painted on its flight deck, as part of its final fitting out.

Furthermore, as seen in the social media post below, evidence emerged at the end of October showing what looked to be a red-colored catapult test ‘truck’ on Sichuan’s deck. This, in turn, pointed to the start of testing of the ship’s lone catapult.

Again, as we have discussed before, as well as the catapult, the layout of the Type 076 design is heavily focused on sustained flight operations. These features include its unusually wide flight deck and the ship’s two islands. As such, fixed-wing drones can be launched by the catapult at the bow end and recovered via some form of arresting gear.

As TWZ previously wrote about the overall significance of the Sichuan:

“The potential value to the PLAN of having a fleet of very large deck amphibious assault ships that are highly capable of large-scale drone operations as well as traditional amphibious assaults is clear. These ships could be used to launch and recover UCAVs like the GJ-11 and other types of drones to perform a host of missions from maritime strike to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). They could be used to provide additional ‘mass’ in support of the operations of larger carrier strike groups and help to free the air wings of flattops like Fujian up for tasks they might be better suited for. In addition, they could provide a lower tier of naval aviation support that could be employed independently.”

…

“Simply having more naval aviation capacity overall would give the PLAN added flexibility for various operations closer to the mainland, including a potential military intervention against Taiwan or defending its expansive and largely unrecognized territorial claims in places like the South China Sea. Type 076s could also help project naval and air power further from China’s shores, something that has also been a driving factor behind the country’s broader carrier ambitions.”

Chinese PLA Navy’s First Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ship “Sichuan” Conducts First Sea Trial

It remains to be seen if the PLAN’s current ambitions include introducing the navalized Type C as part of the regular air wing for the Type 076, or whether it is currently being used as part of an evaluation that may lead to a different type of uncrewed aircraft going aboard the warship. By the same token, we don’t yet know if China currently plans to acquire more Type 076s, or if this design is also initially intended more to prove out the concept of super-sized assault ships.

For now, however, the appearance of the Type C, or a mockup thereof, aboard the Sichuan, underscores China’s broader goal of deploying a host of different uncrewed types aboard aviation-capable warships of various kinds.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com