China on Wednesday launched its second Type 075 amphibious assault ship, only a little more than half a year after the launch of the first one. It is capable of conducting amphibious combat and a variety of missions. China’s amphibious assault ship program has been advancing very rapidly, in terms of both the construction of each ship and the interval between the two ships’ launches. The building of the ships has been fast, and related systems, facilities, and equipment are expected to be installed smoothly when the world is grappling with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Type 075 amphibious assault ship can also operate together with aircraft carriers, letting the carriers seize air superiority as they transport troops, tanks, and armor vehicles to land, significantly improving the Chinese Navy’s combat capability as a comprehensive system. In military operations other than war, amphibious assault ships can be deployed in anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, sea lanes protection, disaster relief, and humanitarian aid missions. Thursday is the 71st anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and the launch of the second Type 075 on Wednesday is a birthday present for the PLA Navy.
The Type 075 landing helicopter dock (NATO reporting name Yushen-class landing helicopter assault) is a class of Chinese amphibious assault ship under construction by the Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding company. 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. On September 25, 2019 the PLAN officially launched the first Type 075. 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.
