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In yet another demonstration of its ability to rapidly modernize its military capabilities, the Chinese navy on Sunday reportedly announced that its two latest amphibious assault ships are ready for combat.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Tuesday reported that the PLA Navy’s first two of the class, Type 075 amphibious assault ships named Hainan and Guangxi, have completed full-course training tests, including live-fire shooting.
The SCMP report, which cited a social media post by the Chinese navy, said the footage, without revealing the time or location, showed the two amphibious assault ships conducting at-sea exercises that included missile interceptions, helicopter operations, air-cushioned craft landing and crew carrying out emergency responses.
Type 075 is the largest amphibious assault ship in service with the PLA Navy with a massive capacity to carry both men and equipment, demonstrating Beijing’s efforts to develop its expeditionary warfare capabilities.
While a third ship of the class, the Anhui, has also entered service after completing combat-oriented training, China plans to build five more Type 075 vessels. The ships are expected to play a vital role in a military campaign against Taiwan.
According to the SCMP report, the ship has seven levels of dock space with the capacity to carry about 1,000 marines, 35 amphibious vehicles, 10 99A main battle tanks, 20 Type 05 armored infantry vehicles and 50 off-road trucks. The ship can also carry 30 helicopters that include the Chinese-made Z-20 and Z-18 and the Russian-made Ka-52, allowing six helicopters to take off at a time from its full-length flight deck.
In recent years, Beijing has ramped up its military modernization program. The latest development of amphibious assault ships that include the Type 075 and the 10 Type 071 ships will play a critical role for Beijing as it seeks to address the challenge of transporting large numbers of troops and equipment across the strait to Taiwan in case of a potential invasion. Apart from Type 075 vessels, China also has 10 Type 071 ships – eight of which are in service, while two are under construction.
As reported on Nov. 21, the massive advancement and expansion of the Chinese PLA Navy have coincided with the steady shrinking and decline of the U.S. Navy‘s capabilities, which are marred by deployment delays, cost overruns and severe maintenance issues. A 2021 Pentagon report projected that the Chinese Naval fleet was expected to grow to 420 ships by 2025 and 460 ships by 2030.
While delays are affecting the U.S. Navy modernization plans, the backlog of weapon deliveries to Taiwan, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, is also reportedly hurting Washington’s long-term “porcupine doctrine” strategy to adequately arm Taipei against China, before a possible Chinese invasion.
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