Hainan amphibious assault ship seen as a key deterrent

The nation’s signature Hainan amphibious assault vessel has enhanced Beijing’s deterrence and logistics capabilities in the disputed South China Sea region a year after it was commissioned, analysts said.

However, this new combat system tested the navy’s thinking and its ability to integrate different types of vessels into a unifying framework, they added.

The Hainan is China’s first and largest Type 075-class amphibious assault ship and is the second-largest vessel type in the navy after the two aircraft carriers. Starting service in April last year, it reached operating capability in March, state media said, quoting the ship’s captain.

The Type 075 provides the People’s Liberation Army with new options for a range of missions both near the coast and further from its shores. In particular, the ship is useful for small island assault combat operations as well as non-war missions, including humanitarian aid, disaster relief and the evacuation of nationals.

The Hainan conducted combat training and live-fire drills aimed at enhancing coordination between personnel and weapon systems in the South China Sea on April 22, but details of the exercise only emerged last Tuesday on an online Chinese military network. The day before the drill, the navy announced the commissioning of its second Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the Guangxi.

Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Techxcope think tank in Beijing, said the Hainan ship contributed by boosting deterrence and more efficiently delivering supplies to the South China Sea islands.

“One Hainan ship can carry both helicopters, hovercraft and amphibious assault vehicles, so it has stronger abilities to confront foreign vessels in the region, while at the same time providing supplies more efficiently to personnel stationed in the South China Sea islands,” he said.

Timothy Heath, a senior analyst from US think tank Rand, shared similar views.

“The ship is designed primarily for amphibious assaults ... It can deploy amphibious armoured vehicles and helicopters to carry out a multidimensional attack on a target, such as a small island. The ship would be especially useful for operations to recover islands taken by rival claimants,” Heath said.

The initial operating capability of the Hainan vessel marks a new milestone in the navy’s gradual upgrade of its assault combat capabilities. Traditionally, it has prepared mainly for missions near its shores. With the new amphibious vessels such as the Type 075 and Type 071, the PLA Navy can sail much further into the ocean and perform attacking and island-seizure missions with greater ability.

“With the launching of the latest Type 075, China has sufficient capability to seize small islands and reefs from its neighbours in the South China Sea,” Heath said.

Although the vessel can enhance warfare ability deep in the South China Sea region, it is not expected to play a big role in a potential military mission to retake Taiwan, which is seen by Beijing as a breakaway province to ultimately be taken back.

“For a Taiwan mission, the ship could be useful but its large size and signature makes it vulnerable to strikes by a wellequipped adversary. Moreover, China still lacks adequate numbers of amphibious assault ships of all sizes to carry out an invasion of Taiwan,” Heath said.

According to the Pentagon, China has the world’s biggest navy with a battle force of about 350 surface ships and submarines, including more than 130 major surface combatants. The US Navy’s battle force is 293 ships.