Two Chinese Type 075 amphibious assault ships are combat ready, says PLA Navy

China’s People Liberation Army’s (PLA) Navy, on Sunday, took to their social media accounts and announced that two Type 075 amphibious assault ships have “graduated” from their training phase and are now combat-ready. Amid rising tension in the South China Sea, reports suggest that these ships will also play an important role in the country’s potential military campaign against Taiwan.

The first two ships of the class, named Hainan and Guangxi, have completed full-training courses, said the PLA Navy on their Weibo account. Notably, the two ships were made operational in less than a year, as Hainan and Guangxi were commissioned just last year in April and December, respectively.However, no details about the time or location of the exercise were given.

The 40,000-tonne assault ships have reportedly received some massive upgrades compared to its predecessor, the 25,000-tonne Type 071 amphibious assault ships. A Type 075 ship has the ability to carry 30 helicopters while six of them take off at the same time. The Type 075 can also carry as many as 10 battle tanks, 20 Type 05 armoured infantry vehicles and 50 off-road trucks, said a report by South China Morning Post.

Additionally, with its seven levels of dock space, it can carry more than 30 amphibious vehicles or three air-cushioned landing craft along with nearly 1,000 marines including their equipment, the report added.

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“Since the training programme started, the Guangxi has completed all the subjects of training and built up overall operational capability as an amphibious assault platform,” said Captain Xu Ce, according to media reports in Beijing.

The two ships are now among the PLA Navy’s fleet of 10 Type 071 ships out of which eight are currently operational while two are under construction. Reportedly, the PLA plans to build five more of this type of assault ship. Earlier this month, the Chinese Navy had also announced the induction of the Anhui, a third ship of the class.

The Type 075 will play a vital role, as many supposedly believe, in a potential military campaign against Taiwan, as the PLA Navy continues to expand its strong fleet which could carry its forces across the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, the Chinese state media, Global Times, said that the new Type 075 will play an instrumental role in the disputed South China Sea.

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