The commissioning of China's Type 075 Hainan landing helicopter dock in April 2021 has raised concerns in the South China Sea
It shows that China has gone one step further in increasing its amphibious power in this sea
China's emphasis on amphibious capabilities is not new
In the early 1960s, to prepare for its ambition to liberate Taiwan, the Chinese navy urgently needed large and medium landing ships
Type 073 medium-sized landing ships was born
The Chinese Type 073 is a family of landing ships, with the forerunner being the Type 073
Very soon the class evolved into the Type 073II, Type 073IIY, Type 073III, and Type 073A
Basically, The Type 073 is a medium-sized tank landing ship with a bow-door open main deck, a covered high-tank deck, and a diesel double propeller
The main task of this type of ship is to transport the landing troops directly at the beachhead during the landing operation of the sea
assisting the mine-breeding ships to deploy defensive mines in the offshore area, and to serve as transportation tasks
It has the characteristics of simple structure, convenient use and low cost, and can be built in large quantities in the second and third line shipyards
The first ship of its class, the Type 073, was launched in 1969
Many tests were carried out in 1970
It had a displacement of only 850 tons, a length of 69 m, and a beam of 10.5. m
Trials revealed that the vibration was too great at high speed, and the Type 073 did not enter production
Redesign work designated as Type 073II immediately started after the trials of the first unit ended
and the first unit entered PLAN service with pennant number 904
and was subsequently designated as Type 073I
and was later ordered to be fully converted to Type 073II standard
Due to the political turmoil at the time, conversion was not completed until 1975
The primary difference between Type 073 and Type 073II is in the engine
Additional balance weight was added to the diesel engine which solved the vibration problem
but the reliability issue of the engine remain unsolved, and as a result, Type 073II did not enter mass production, just like its predecessor
The Type 073II was canceled due to engine reliability issues
A modified version was released with the designation 073IIY
A total of two Type 073IIYs were completed, with the hull number 937 and 938
The primary difference between Type 073II and Type 073 IIY includes more than 100 upgrades in addition to engine improvement
The reliability problem of the engine of Type 073 series was not completely solved until the appearance of Type 073III landing ship
with NATO reporting name Yudeng-class
The D-39 engine that is reliable only at slower speed was replaced by a new engine that is reliable at all speeds, and displacement is also increased
Only one unit entered service, with the hull number 990 in 1991
The most recent and modern model of the class is the Type 073A, which were built and commissioned in the 2000s
After the completion of the first unit, the 990, it takes a decade for more units to follow, and 10 more entered service between 2001 through 2002
These later units are slightly larger in displacement at 2,000 tons, and more advanced equipment, mainly in electronics and on board machinery
The successful construction of the Type 073 medium-sized landing ship marks China's remarkable maturity in shipbuilding capabilities
contributing to bringing the Chinese Navy to a new level