Making Waves! “The Type 075 LHD: Development, Missions & Capabilities”—CMSI China Maritime Report #23

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Conor M. Kennedy and Daniel Caldwell,?The Type 075 LHD: Development, Missions, and Capabilities, China Maritime Report 23 (Newport, RI: Naval War College?China Maritime Studies Institute, October 2022).

About the Authors

Conor M. Kennedy is a research associate at the China Maritime Studies Institute in the U.S. Naval?War College, Newport, Rhode Island. He received his MA from Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing?University for Chinese and American Studies. His work focused on PLA amphibious warfare, civil-military?fusion, and Chinese maritime affairs.

Daniel Caldwell CDR, USN (ret) is a retired Surface Warfare Officer with 28 years of service. His?shore tours have included planning billets with CJTF-HOA, COMPACFLT, USINDOPACOM, and?the Joint Staff J5. He has served as a Professor of Joint Military Operations and is the former?Director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College.

This report reflects the authors’ personal views only. The authors would like to thank LtCol?Marshalee Clark, USMC, Roderick Lee, CDR Timothy Drosinos, USN, and Col James “Jay”?Schnelle, USMC, for their helpful insights during the course of producing this report. Any errors or?omissions are the authors’ alone.

Summary

When the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its first Type 075 class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) in April 2021, it represented an important advance in power projection capability for China’s maritime forces. For the first time, the PLAN had an amphibious warship capable of hosting significant rotary wing forces while acting as the flagship for an amphibious task force. Now with three Type 075 class ships either in or soon to be in service, the PLAN has expanded its amphibious capability even further. The Type 075’s dedicated aviation support capability, ability to conduct wet well operations, and expanded command and control and medical facilities reflect capabilities that previously did not exist within the PLAN amphibious fleet. With the Type 075 LHD, the PLAN clearly intends to bolster its ability to project power from the sea in order to protect China’s overseas interests, but will require time for amphibious task forces to become fully proficient.

Introduction

With the 2007 commissioning of the Type 071 Landing Platform Dock (LPD), the People’s?Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) sought to attain an amphibious platform capable of power projection?operations far from Chinese shores. The construction of the Type 075 Landing Helicopter Dock?(LHD)—the first of which was commissioned in April 2021—is further evidence of the PLAN’s?desire to incorporate a truly first-rate amphibious capability into its force structure.

Although a number of nations developed, constructed, and deployed modern amphibious forces?throughout the 20th Century, it was the United States Navy (USN) along with the United States?Marine Corps (USMC) during the Second World War that set the standard of amphibious doctrine,?capacity, and capability. Since the mid-2000s, the PLAN has sought to emulate the success of the?USN/USMC team and has made remarkable strides in this direction with the construction of major?amphibious platforms, the most impressive of which is the Type 075 LHD.

In the post-World War II era, the USMC explicitly made the connection between ground and air arms?with the development of the Marine Air Ground Task Force. The doctrine that was developed relied?on the integration of helicopters for the insertion of troops as well as fixed-wing attack aircraft to?provide close air support to landing forces. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the USMC began?developing requirements for a ship that would be capable of carrying up to two thousand Marines?(including aviation personnel) and supporting an air component of up to twenty helicopters. This?concept culminated in the early 1990s with the development of the?Wasp-class LHD.

As the centerpiece of the Amphibious Ready Group concept, LHDs are extremely capable platforms?that incorporate both a well deck for the employment of landing craft, including Landing Craft Air?Cushion (LCACs), and a flight deck to support both fixed wing and rotary wing operations. For the?PLAN, having observed the USN/USMC amphibious operations for decades, the need to develop its?own LHD-type vessel as the centerpiece of its amphibious forces was clear. However, although its?design was largely inspired by western counterparts, the Type 075 has a number of characteristics?particular to the requirements of the PLAN.

This report discusses the development of the Type 075 class LHD, the capabilities it is expected to?provide, and the way in which the PLAN may incorporate such a platform into the current force?structure and future operations. In particular, it examines the Type 075’s role as the flagship of?PLAN future amphibious task forces operating in the far seas. … … …

Conclusion

The advent of the Type 075 is an important first step toward a future expeditionary force and?represents “a new-type of amphibious combat force for the navy.” Its arrival signifies a profound?shift in the missions, functional roles, and the structure and scale of the PLAN’s landing ship?flotillas.197 The ship itself provides the PLAN with the hardware to deploy multi-mission amphibious?combat forces into distant waters, enabling more credible responses against threats to national?interests.

As a new class of ship, the Type 075 program has advanced quickly, as demonstrated by the rapid?assembly, launch, and commissioning of the initial batch of three ships. According to the Hainan’s?Political Commissar in August 2022, the ship has completed training in basic subjects (基础课目训练), multi-service arm joint training (多兵种联合训练), and mission-oriented exercises (使命课题演练) in the year since its commissioning.?Accompanied by footage of flight deck operations and well-deck?operations with PLANMC forces on the Hainan, he claims the ship has reached initial?operational capability in carrying out amphibious combat duties.198 While initial operational?capability can be measured differently in other navies, the ship’s progress is overall an impressive?feat of efficiency in naval systems development. The ship has included some of the latest?technologies in PLAN surface ships, but does not introduce any groundbreaking capabilities vis-à-vis?other navies. It is most significant as a completely new capability that will challenge the?PLAN/PLANMC like never before to operate effectively together. While not covered in this report, a?new generation of amphibious assault ship—the Type 076—is also reportedly under development by?the 708 Institute.199 Additional amphibious assault ship classes will similarly have an important?impact on the overall design and use of amphibious forces.

Many challenges still need to be overcome to make this amphibious force effective in the types of?missions envisioned. The PLAN has yet to publicize more complex exercises involving other ships of?the fleet or what the full air detachment will look like. More importantly, the PLAN has to date not?yet deployed larger scale amphibious forces into the far seas. The USN shed blood and spent decades?learning and improving the implementation of expeditionary warfare, making it the best possible?reference for PLAN development. Study of the USN has likely benefited the development of the?Type 075 program. However, the difficulty of expeditionary operations may negate most of the late-mover?advantage the PLAN could muster. Expeditionary operations feature a steep learning curve?that starts with planning and execution at home ports and bases. To make future amphibious task?forces effective and join the club of powers capable of expeditionary warfare, the PLAN will need to?learn the hard way by actually deploying forces and planning and executing operations.

This report seeks a deeper understanding of the Type 075 LHD. It has examined the ship’s?development, its various capabilities, and how it fits within the PLAN’s amphibious fleet forces. In?this process, a number of PRC/PLA writings were examined, ranging from earlier defense academic?studies and official reporting in newspapers to a very active discussion by numerous unofficial?experts conducting their own assessments of the final delivered ship. PRC discussions regarding the?ship and amphibious task forces are intensely ambitious. Many anticipate deployment anywhere in?the world. This report finds that future amphibious task forces centered on the Type 075 will learn to?crawl before they can run, a process that will take many years. The current cohort of three ships?could sustain a single amphibious task force deployed abroad, and will largely be tasked with lower-intensity,?small-scale operations for military diplomacy or to protect national interests.