Type 071 (Yuzhao-class)

Amphibious Transport Dock / Landing Platform, Dock (LPD)

China | 2007

"The Type 071 Amphibious Transport Dock class serves the modern Chinese Navy through a collection of eight hulls so far."

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/13/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

China's long-running coastline, coupled with its global military aspirations, requires it to keep a substantial naval force under the banner of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). This includes all manner of ship types, from aircraft carriers and helicopter support ships to destroyers, frigates, and submarines. Lost in the vastness of naval categories is the amphibious support vessel - embodied in the PLAN inventory by such designs as the "Type 071", known to the West as the "Yuzhai-class".

As of this writing (2022), the class consists of eight total hulls which entered construction in 2007 and is ongoing. Commissioned service of the lot began in 2007. The Royal Thai Navy has since become the first foreign operator of the design with its commitment to acquiring at least one hull (under the export-minded "Type 071E" designation).

All of the hulls have been constructed by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding company.

In both form and function, the Type 071 is comparable to the American Navy's San Antonio-class (detailed elsewhere on this site), developed specifically to support ship-to-shore actions (including humanitarian endeavors) as they primarily relate to the all-important amphibious assault operation. The Chinese interpretation of this role is a ship displacing 25,000 tons under full load and measuring 689 feet from bow-to-stern with a beam of 91.9 feet and a draught down to 23 feet.

Aboard is an operational crew numbering over 300 that includes nearly 30 officer-level candidates and over 300 enlisted personnel to ensure proper function of the warship. An air arm is carried to support the four Z-8 class medium-lift navy helicopters which, in turn, vessel itself supports through the integrated helipad and full-service hangar bay (over the stern). This allows the craft to launch and retrieve multiple instances of the helicopter simultaneously. Beyond these aircraft, the ship is designed to carry up to 4 x Type 726 "Yuyi" class landing craft, at least 14 x Assault / combat vehicles, and up to 800 combat-ready personnel (mainly marines) - all designed to "hit the beach" and bring the fight to the enemy.

Onboard armament of the ship is purely defensive in its approach, headlined by a single 76mm AK-176 series turreted deck gun which is backed by a network of 4 x 30mm AK-630 Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs). Beyond this are 4 x 18-tube Type 726 decoy launchers and up to 4 x Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs). However, its strength of defense lies mostly in the accompanying fleet and airpower.

The vessel is powered by a quad arrangement of turbocharged marine diesels, these driving 2 x Shafts astern. This arrangement allows the ship to reach speeds of 25 knots in ideal conditions and range out beyond 10,000 nautical miles.

The Type 071 represents the most modern Amphibious Transport Dock design available to the PLAN today and would most certainly play a major role in the Chinese takeover of neighboring Taiwan should the regional situation turn sour. The design is an already an active participant in naval exercises concerning the PLAN.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for Type 071 (Yuzhao-class).

4 x Marine turbocharged, diesel-fueled turbines of unknown make and model developing an estimated 40,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts astern.
Propulsion

25.0 kts
28.8 mph
Surface Speed

10,258 nm
11,805 miles | 18,998 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of Type 071 (Yuzhao-class).

360
Personnel
Complement

689.0 ft
210.01 meters
O/A Length

91.1 ft
27.76 meters
Beam

23.0 ft
7.01 meters
Draught

25,000
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of Type 071 (Yuzhao-class).

1 x 76mm AK-176 turreted deck gun.
4 x 30mm AK-630 Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWSs).
4 x 18-tube Type 726-4 decoy launchers.
2 to 4 x 12.7mm/14.5mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs).

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of Type 071 (Yuzhao-class).

4 x Z-8 (Super Frelon) or similar medium-lift helicopters supported with full service hangar facilities.

Ships-in-Class (8)
Notable series variants as part of the Type 071 (Yuzhao-class) family line as relating to the Type 071 (Yuzhao-class) group.

Hull No. 998; Hull No. 999; Hull No. 989; Hull No. 988; Hull No. 980; Hull #6; Hull #7; Hull #8; Hull #9 (to Thailand)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the Type 071 (Yuzhao-class). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

Shipbuilder(s): Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding - China

[ China; Thailand (announced) ]

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Going Further...
Type 071 (Yuzhao-class) Amphibious Transport Dock / Landing Platform, Dock (LPD) appears in the following collections:

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