First Details on Likely Future Type 75 LHD for PLAN Showed Up on China Government Website | |||
The first details on a future landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ship for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) may have emerged on a government website in China. | |||
 Poster showing an LHD design on CSOC (China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company) stand during AAD 2014 in South Africa | |||
An article published on an official website of the Shanghai communist party mentions a company, Hudong Heavy Machinery Co., LTD (member of CSSC China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the largest shipbuilding group in China) that has been contracted to built "16PC2-6B" diesel engines for a new project of amphibious assault ship. The French Mistral class and Japanese Izumo class are mentioned as well. Here is the excerpt of interest in Chinese: "他谈到，公司研发的16PC2-6B主要用于国家两攻项目， Here is the link to the original article (the link doesn't work anymore, it may have been taken down). |
 LPD/LHD scale model on CSOC stand during IDEX 2013 in the UAE | |||
Open source information on the future PLAN amphibious assault ship is limited at best. From what is available today (and based on rumors), the class is likely to be called Type 75 with a standard displacement of 35,000 tons. In comparison, a French Mistral class displaces around 20,000 tons and a US Wasp class displaces around 40,000 tons. Based on the Chinese article, the vessel will likely be built in Shanghai at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a wholly owned subsidiary of CSSC. LPD/LHD design for exportNavy Recognition saw Chinese LHD designs in the past while we were covering international defense shows. At AAD 2014 last year in South Africa, the CSOC standfeatured an LHD design called "LPD". And during IDEX 2013 in the UAE, we interview a representative about the LHD/LPD basic specifications. Read our article at this link to learn more about the specifications of the vessel. |