China’s Fourth Type 075 LHD Taking Shape In Shanghai

beijingwalker · Jul 30, 2023

China’s Fourth Type 075 LHD Taking Shape In Shanghai

The fourth Type 075 amphibious assault ship (LHD) for the Chinese Navy (PLAN) is rapidly taking shape with builder Hudong-Zhonghua at their primary shipyard in Shanghai.

Alex Luck 30 Jul 2023

New imagery revealed via Chinese social media-accounts shows the hull assembled in the main drydock is now almost complete at the welldeck- and vehicle loading-level, with the aviation hangar deck-level structure to follow. Based on current progress and assuming overall construction pace reflects the preceding three hulls also completed at Hudong, the ship should be ready for launch in approximately five to six months from the date of the newest images.

The Type 075 amphibious assault carrier is roughly comparable to and only slightly smaller in dimensions to the American Tarawa- and Wasp-class amphibious assault ships, displacing around 35,000 tons. Three ships were previously built at Hudong, with the first unit, 31 Hainan having been launched in 2019 and commissioned in 2021, followed by 32 Guangxi. The third ship, 33 Anhui, was launched in 2021 and commissioned in October last year.

Continued construction of the Type 075 is part of a wider trend in PLAN modernizing and expanding amphibious capabilities across a range of vessels. Most recently, renewed construction of Zubr-class large sealift hovercraft (LCAC) was also revealed via social media imagery. In addition, production of older and smaller 072-series tank landing ships (LST) appears to be ongoing. China is furthermore producing more Type 726 LCAC, which can be carried by the Type 075 LHDs and the 8 ship strong fleet of slightly smaller Type 071 amphibious transport docks (LPDs). A new conventional landing craft (LCU or landing craft utility) supplementing Type 726, providing increased transport capacity for armored vehicles off Type 075 and Type 071, is also currently in advanced development.

The new imagery of construction at Hudong also shows further progress in assembly of the new Type 054B frigate, which Naval News most recently covered here. A second frigate hull in the same drydock as the Type 075 and Type 054B remains unidentified at present, and may either be another Type 054B or a Type 818 mod, a modification of the preceding Type 054A frigate design for use by the Chinese Coast Guard.

In conclusion, Hudong, similar to the other three principal Chinese shipyards engaged in construction of surface combatants, Jiangnan, Huangpu and Dalian, continues to be in full swing producing new warships for the modernization and expansion of PLAN.