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New Intelligence Shows China Is Building More Type-075 Assault Carriers
H I Sutton
Aerospace & Defense
Aug 7, 2020,07:50am EDT
The Chinese Navy is expanding at an incredible pace which is rapidly out-stripping almost all other navies. A year ago it had no amphibious Assault Carriers (termed LHDs). These large helicopter carriers are often the most powerful ships in many navies, and almost all navies want them. Fast forward to a year’s time and they will likely have the second largest fleet of them in the world. Only the U.S. Navy will have more. And China is building them quicker.
Satellite imagery shows the 3rd Type-075 amphibious ship under construction. It's size and internal layout aid identification.
The rapid construction of Chinese Navy (PLAN) warships is hard to keep up with. China’s new Assault Carriers are known as the Type-075 LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock). They have already launched two in the past year. And now images have emerged on Chinese language social media which, perhaps unwittingly, reveal yet another.
This equates to an assembly time in dry dock of about 6 months. It is difficult to make direct comparisons to the U.S. Navy because the construction approaches vary, and America is not in the same rush. But for context the U.S. Navy’s second America Class assault carrier, USS Tripoli, was laid down in June 2014 and launched in May 2017. 2 years and 10 months later.
The vessels are roughly the same size and in many ways comparable, although the Chinese ships are closer in pattern to the U.S. Navy’s older Wasp Class. The difference being that they have a well-deck for hovercraft to ferry tanks, vehicles and troops to the shore.
At this pace the third Type-075 may be launched in October. Commercial satellite imagery has helped to confirm the newest vessel. Construction is taking place at the Hudong–Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. The new ship is visible, partly constructed, in the same dry dock where the first two were assembled. Those are seen sitting outside the dock on the July 25 satellite imagery.
In fact the lead ship sailed to start sea trials on August 5 2020. A tug boat can actually be seen beside her in the satellite imagery. The below tweet by user @RupprechtDeino shows the first ship starting out on her sea trials. Her air defense missiles and CIWS (Close In Weapon Systems) are covered in these shots:
So these 40,000 ton ships are loosely equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s Wasp Class. They are very close in size and displacement and have the same general layout, which is standard for assault carriers. A ramp opens in the stern to access a well-deck which can be flooded so that smaller boats, such as landing craft, to be carried inside. In Chinese service, like in the U.S., these will be large hovercraft.
An array of helicopters can also be carried. These include the Harbin Z-20, a copy of the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk / Sea Hawk family. Small rotor-wing UAVs (uncrewed air vehicles) have also been seen, along with Z-8 heavy lift helicopters and Ka-27/28 Helix anti-submarine helicopters.
How many Type-075s China will build is hard to gauge. But at this pace they could rival the U.S. Navy’s fleet within five years. And China may already be designing a follow-on class, the Type-076. This may be equipped with a more powerful air wing including uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAVs). There is no doubt that China’s drive to modernize its Navy will change its world status as a naval power.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutt...-more-type-075-assault-carriers/#11a9dfa522c2
H I Sutton
Aerospace & Defense
Aug 7, 2020,07:50am EDT
The Chinese Navy is expanding at an incredible pace which is rapidly out-stripping almost all other navies. A year ago it had no amphibious Assault Carriers (termed LHDs). These large helicopter carriers are often the most powerful ships in many navies, and almost all navies want them. Fast forward to a year’s time and they will likely have the second largest fleet of them in the world. Only the U.S. Navy will have more. And China is building them quicker.
Satellite imagery shows the 3rd Type-075 amphibious ship under construction. It's size and internal layout aid identification.
The rapid construction of Chinese Navy (PLAN) warships is hard to keep up with. China’s new Assault Carriers are known as the Type-075 LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock). They have already launched two in the past year. And now images have emerged on Chinese language social media which, perhaps unwittingly, reveal yet another.
This equates to an assembly time in dry dock of about 6 months. It is difficult to make direct comparisons to the U.S. Navy because the construction approaches vary, and America is not in the same rush. But for context the U.S. Navy’s second America Class assault carrier, USS Tripoli, was laid down in June 2014 and launched in May 2017. 2 years and 10 months later.
The vessels are roughly the same size and in many ways comparable, although the Chinese ships are closer in pattern to the U.S. Navy’s older Wasp Class. The difference being that they have a well-deck for hovercraft to ferry tanks, vehicles and troops to the shore.
At this pace the third Type-075 may be launched in October. Commercial satellite imagery has helped to confirm the newest vessel. Construction is taking place at the Hudong–Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. The new ship is visible, partly constructed, in the same dry dock where the first two were assembled. Those are seen sitting outside the dock on the July 25 satellite imagery.
In fact the lead ship sailed to start sea trials on August 5 2020. A tug boat can actually be seen beside her in the satellite imagery. The below tweet by user @RupprechtDeino shows the first ship starting out on her sea trials. Her air defense missiles and CIWS (Close In Weapon Systems) are covered in these shots:
So these 40,000 ton ships are loosely equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s Wasp Class. They are very close in size and displacement and have the same general layout, which is standard for assault carriers. A ramp opens in the stern to access a well-deck which can be flooded so that smaller boats, such as landing craft, to be carried inside. In Chinese service, like in the U.S., these will be large hovercraft.
An array of helicopters can also be carried. These include the Harbin Z-20, a copy of the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk / Sea Hawk family. Small rotor-wing UAVs (uncrewed air vehicles) have also been seen, along with Z-8 heavy lift helicopters and Ka-27/28 Helix anti-submarine helicopters.
How many Type-075s China will build is hard to gauge. But at this pace they could rival the U.S. Navy’s fleet within five years. And China may already be designing a follow-on class, the Type-076. This may be equipped with a more powerful air wing including uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAVs). There is no doubt that China’s drive to modernize its Navy will change its world status as a naval power.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutt...-more-type-075-assault-carriers/#11a9dfa522c2
