Chinese Amphibious Type 071 Class Landing Platform Dock

The Type 071 Landing Platform Dock (LPD) was recently featured on Chinese state television, which offered the opportunity to have a closer look at these ships, which have been inducted into service in recent years.

The Chinese Navy currently has three Type 071 ships in service for amphibious warfare. The first was commissioned in 2007 and the next two were commissioned in 2011 and 2012.

Like other LPD, the Type 071 has a hanger and landing deck, a vehicle deck and well-deck. They can carry a mix and match of marines, vehicles, helicopters, including:

Credit original poster, via Chinese Internet

• A hanger with room for up to 4 Z-8 transport helicopters, which are derived from the French Super Frelon helicopter. The landing deck supports 2 Z-8 taking off and landing simultaneously.
• Amphibious assault vehicles such as the armored ZBD05 and ZTD05, which have the ability to fire on the move using their own propulsion.
• Up to four Landing Craft Air-Cushioned (LCAC) in the well-deck, which can deliver vehicles or marines directly on to the beach at high speed. Up to three of the Type 05 family of amphibious assault vehicles can be carried.
• Up to 800 marines and related equipment and supplies.

The Type 071 is armed with a dual-purpose 76 mm main gun and four 6-barrel 30 mm Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS). The also carry two small landing craft on port and starboard.

The Type 071 are fairly large in comparison to to other ships of the class in other countries. Only the United States has larger ships in service. The specification of the Type 071 are:

• A length of 210 m
• A beam of 28 m
• An empty displacement of 19000 tons
• A full displacement of up to 28000 tons

Their propulsion is based on Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD).

China currently does not have any Landing Platform Helicopter(LPH). However, it has displayed models at defense exhibitions. It is likely that it will build its own LPH to complement the Type 071 LPD.

http://v.ifeng.com/mil/worldwide/201304/3eb67a84-4ed9-4076-b781-c4f2092bb62e.shtml

China building Type 052D guided missile destroyers

Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Shanghai Shipbuilding Co. will soon complete construction of three Type 052D destroyers, with sea trials expected to be carried out within months, according to Chinese military news websites.

The launch of the three new guided missile destroyers is seen as a warning amid rising tension between China and its neighbors over disputed islands in the East China Sea and South China Sea, China's dwnews.com reported.

The 052D destroyer uses a flat-array radar similar to the Aegis system, a new vertical launching system (VLS), is powered by combustion turbine engines and has angled surfaces for stealth anti-radar features.

The report said the vessel is a new multifunction guided missile destroyer developed based on its predecessor, the Type 052C. The 052D has been dubbed the "Chinese Aegis," as it is believed to have similar capabilities to the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

In the West, the Aegis system is a distinct, brand-name phased-array system that allows multiple Aegis-capable warships to share tracking and targeting data.

The 052D is reportedly equipped with 64 new VLS for surface-to- air missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-submarine missiles, as well as a new 130mm main gun and a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system.

Its layout is similar to that of the 052C, but the superstructure slopes inward at a greater angle, providing superior stealth capability.

Judged by its major features, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military analyst, suggested that the new vessels will serve as the backbone of the the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s naval combat fleet.

(By Zep Hu and Y.L. Kao)
ENDITEM/J

China builds second aircraft carrier

Navy has a single carrier, the Russian-built Liaoning, and says another larger vessel is under construction

China's first aircraft carrier, the Soviet-era Liaoning. Photograph: Str/AFP/Getty Images

China will build a second, larger aircraft carrier capable of carrying more fighter jets, the official Xinhua news service has reported, quoting a senior officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

The report comes after Chinese officials denied foreign media reports in September 2012 that China was building a second carrier in Shanghai.

"China will have more than one aircraft carrier ... The next aircraft carrier we need will be larger and carry more fighters," Xinhua quoted Song Xue, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy, as saying at a ceremony with foreign military attaches.

Song said foreign media reports saying the carrier was being built in Shanghai were inaccurate but did not elaborate, according to the report.

China currently has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which it bought from the Russians and refitted. Considered by military experts to be decades behind US carrier technology, it was officially said to have been bought to serve as a floating casino but was turned to military use.

China is also building up other forms of military hardware, including a stealth fighter jet believed to be capable of landing on a carrier, drone aircraft and nuclear submarines.

China is alone among the original nuclear weapons states to be expanding its nuclear forces, according to a report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Song said the PLA Navy was building a naval aviation force for the Liaoning and there would be at least two aviation regiments on one carrier, including fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic countermeasure (ECM) planes and rotary-wing aircraft, the report said.

Chinese officials have said the Liaoning will be used primarily for training purposes.

The Guardian