Type 072III landing ship

The Type 072III landing ship (NATO designation Yuting-I class) is the follow-on of the Type 072II landing ships initially introduced in the 1990s by the People's Republic of China. Type 072-III features a redesigned concealed bridge, and possibly enhanced sealift capability. The main difference between Type 072III and its predecessor Type 072II is that Type 072III incorporates a helicopter platform at stern (no hangar). A total of eleven ships have entered service with People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and all of them were built by China Shipbuilding Shipyard (中华造船厂) in Shanghai. 6 Type 072III are deployed in PLAN South Sea Fleet (SSF), and the remaining are deployed in PLAN East Sea Fleet (ESF).

Type 072III landing ship

Class overview
Builders	Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Type 072II
Succeeded by	Type 072A
Completed	11
Active	11
General characteristics
Type	Landing Ship, Tank
Displacement	7,000 tonnes
Length	119.5 m (392 ft)
Beam	16.4 m (54 ft)
Draft	2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Installed power	2 × 12PA6V-280MPC diesel at 7,080 kW (9,490 hp)
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range	3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Capacity	10 × tanks or 500 tons of cargo or 250 fully equipped troops
Complement	104
Armament	3 × H/PJ76F twin 37mm
Aviation facilities	helicopter platform

Ships of the class

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
1	991	峨眉山 / Emei Shan	Zhonghua		September 1992	South Sea Fleet	Active
2	934	丹霞山 / Danxia Shan	Zhonghua		September 1995	South Sea Fleet	Active
3	935	雪峰山 / Xuefeng Shan	Zhonghua		December 1995	South Sea Fleet	Active
4	936	海洋山 / Haiyang Shan	Zhonghua		May 1996	South Sea Fleet	Active
5	937	青城山 / Qingcheng Shan	Zhonghua		August 1996	South Sea Fleet	Active
6	938	呂梁山 / Luliang Shan	Zhonghua		August 1996	South Sea Fleet	Active
7	908	雁荡山 / Yandang Shan	Zhonghua		January 1997	East Sea Fleet	Active
8	909	九华山 / Jiuhua Shan	Zhonghua		April 2000	East Sea Fleet	Active
9	939	普陀山 / Putuo Shan	Zhonghua		August 2000	East Sea Fleet	Active
10	910	黄岗山 / Huanggang Shan	Zhonghua		December 2001	East Sea Fleet	Active
11	940	天台山 / Tiantai Shan	Zhonghua		April 2002	East Sea Fleet	Active

Possible railgun testing

In February 2018, images were released via electronic media of Haiyang Shan (936). the fourth ship of the class, with what appeared to be a railgun mounted on the ship's bow. Later reports confirmed it was rail-gun being used for dock-side testing. The Chinese have since made a "break-through" in power-generation and are now planning for sea-trials.

See also

• People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force
• List of active People's Liberation Army Navy ships

External links

• Global Security Chinese Warships (globalsecurity.org)