 |
| mobile01.com |
China’s second Type 075 amphibious assault ship launched in Shanghai | Jane's 360
Andrew Tate, London - Jane's Defence Weekly
April 2020
The second Type 075 (Yushen)-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship on order for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) was launched at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai on 22 April: a day before the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the PLAN.
Tugs pulled the ship from the dock in which it was built and manoeuvred it to a berth on the Huangpu river adjacent to the first Type 075, which entered the water on 25 September 2019, making the interval between the launch of China’s first and second LHD just over six months.
The Type 075 is about 235 m long, with a 36 m wide flight deck and an estimated displacement of about 35,000 tonnes, making it smaller than the US Navy’s 45,000 tonne America-class landing helicopter assault (LHA) vessels.
#####
 |
| mobile01.com |
The launch took place at around 2 pm local time, April 22. Open Source intelligence (OSINT) had indicated the launch was imminent. Two weeks ago Forbes reported on its expected launch using analysis of satellite imagery and photos posted on Chinese social media. The launch may have been delayed when the other carrier, already in the water, caught fire on April 11. But it was unlikely that any delay would be significant as there is already a backlog of work for the floating dock where it has been assembled. There is a guided missile frigate already waiting, in sections, on the quayside.
Defense analysts have been able to track progress on the carrier via candid photographs and overhead satellite imagery. An analysis of crane movements in satellite images showed the level of work in the yard. It appears uninhibited by the coronavirus pandemic.
A few days ago leading indicators of the launch were reinforced when the customary lines of flags adorned the masts. From previous Chinese Navy ceremony preparations, this normally takes place around two days prior to launch. Quickly, via various OSINT sources, the launch date was tied down to April 22. And the time was narrowed down to between 1pm and 2pm. So defense watchers were waiting, monitoring Chinese Social Media.
Right on cue, the enthusiastic residents of Shanghai posted photographs as the ginormous vessel slowly emerge from the flooded dry dock. The event closed traffic on the busy river.
This new ship has been assembled and floated just months after the first was launched in September last year. Several more Type-075s are expected to be built, creating the best equipped amphibious navy after the U.S. Navy. While China has a weaker tradition than European navies such as the United Kingdom, Netherlands, France and Italy, it has an unrivaled production capacity. Regional players such as Australia and South Korea have also been bolstering their assault carrier fleets. Bucking the trend however, India has been reported to be considering cancelling some of its own amphibious warship deals. Source: forbes.com
Chinese PLN new type helicopter assault ship fire, Hudong Shipbuilding
No comments:
Post a Comment