On 10 April 2020, the first Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LPD) caught fire today while in the dock at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. a fire broke out as welders were working during the construction process. It has three distinct exit points for black smoke, with heavier amounts out the back of the well deck. Understood fire, probably major fire, was already extinguished, extent of damages of course, remains unknown.
On September 25, 2019 the PLAN officially launched the first Type 075 landing helicopter dock (NATO reporting name Yushen-class landing helicopter assault). A second Type 075 is being simultaneously built in the same dry dock as the first Type 075 and is likely that the third planned Type 075 will be built in the same location. The Type 075 helicopter dock is a new generation of amphibious assault vessel and far larger than similar ships previously constructed for the PLA Navy. It also has a hangar for holding up to 28 helicopters that can land at six points on its deck.
The Type 075 class has a full-length flight deck for helicopter operations and features a floodable well deck from which to disembark hovercraft and armored amphibious assault vehicles. In term of size and tonnage, Type 075 class is estimated to be larger than the Australian Canberra class or French Mistral class and second only to the U.S. Navy’s Wasp class and America class on the world stage. The Type 075 would give the Chinese navy the ability to launch various types of helicopters to attack naval vessels, enemy ground forces or submarines.
