The United States military could soon face a threat to its superiority in amphibious assault, with China saying that its two new amphibious assault ships are nearing completion.
Both these Chinese warships are Type 075 landing helicopter docks (LHDs), which go by the NATO reporting name "Yushen-class landing helicopter assault." They will enter service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) over the next two to three years after going through a complex commissioning process. At least five more Type 075s will be built.
Both these LHDs will enter service amid worsening tensions with Taiwan, which China has promised will be reunified with the mainland by any means – including force.
"We make no promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option of taking all necessary means," said President Xi Jinping in 2019 after urging Taiwan to open talks on peaceful reunification.
China continues to use all means short of war, including a build-up of its Taiwan invasion force, to compel Taiwan to declare itself part of China. Military experts at the Pentagon have dismissed an immediate Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan.
On the other hand, the Type 075 will permit rapid deployment of PLAN Marines to island hotspots in the South China Sea. But Pentagon experts point out that personnel of the People's Liberation Army Navy-Marine Corps are far less combat capable than the powerful U.S. Marine Corps. With a strength of 186,000 personnel, the U.S. Marines have extensive experience with amphibious and land operations and the equipment to carry them out.
The Pentagon said most of the new PLAN Marines brigades aren't fully manned and equipped to be fully operational. In its 2019 report on China's military power, the Pentagon also said PLAN Marines are seriously deficient in armored fighting vehicles and helicopters, which are needed to conduct complex amphibious operations.
The Type 075, however, will give China the capability to deploy far from home in shows of force or to protect Chinese investments and citizens in other countries.
None of the two new Type 075s has received a name or a pennant number, however. Both are currently being fitted out at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co.
The warship launched in September 2019 will be deployed to the PLAN Southern Fleet; the other launched this April will see service with the PLAN Eastern Fleet.
These 470 meter-long warships, each weighing some 40,000 metric tons, will have a complement of 30 Z-9WA attack helicopters and can carry fewer than a thousand PLAN Marines. The PLAN Marines have a strength of 35,000 men. Its combat strength consists of two brigades: The 1st Marine Brigade and 164th Marine Brigade. Each comprises 6,000 military personnel.
Type 075 will be deployed to land and support PLAN Marines during amphibious attacks in enemy territory. It will also be capable of conducting command and control operations.
