China commissions the second of the eight Type 075 Landing Helicopter Docks

Asia-Pacific, News December 30, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

China commissioned the second Type 075 Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) with the Eastern Fleet of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) this week.

The Type 075 class of Chinese ships is also known as Yushen-class Landing Platform Dock. The commissioned vessel is named Guangxi 32, after an autonomous region located in South China and bordering Vietnam. The ship is expected to serve in the same region.

Type 075 Landing Helicopter Dock are Chinese amphibious assault ships constructed by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company. The Type 075 shall succeed the Type 071 Naval Transportation Dock. Type 071 mainly served as an amphibious vehicle transportation ship while Type 075 includes a full-length flight deck for helicopter landing as well as a flood-able second deck that can store tanks, hovercrafts, and other amphibious assault vehicles.

Although the PLAN is yet to officially announce the commission of the ship, it was spotted at the building yard, decorated with ceremonial flags indicating its commissioning ceremony.

The eight Type 075 ships planned to be commissioned to the PLAN. So far, 3 of the 8 ships have been completed. Guangxi 32 is the second of the Type 075 ships which would be followed by Anhui 33. The first ship of Type 075 was Hainan 31. It was commissioned to PLAN in a grand ceremony in April 2021 which was also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Hainan 31 was launched in September 2019 and started its sea trials in August 2020. It is currently based at Sanya harbor.

Type 075 ships are 237 meters long and 36 meters wide at the beam. The ships from this class are slightly smaller in dimensions compared to their American counterparts, the U.S. Navy’s Wasp-Class and American-Class LHD.

Type 075 ships are powered by diesel engines that boost their displacement capacity to 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes. The ship can accommodate up to 30 attack helicopters at the dock and lower deck hanger. The ship is also equipped with 2 H/PJ-11 30 mm Close in Weapon systems as well as 2 Chinese-made HQ-10 (Red Banner-10) Surface to air missile guns.