China Navy conducts first far sea drills with Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan.

According to information published by Global Times on March 3, 2023, the Hainan, the first Type 075 amphibious assault ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, recently joined a flotilla and conducted a far sea exercise in the West Pacific, marking the first time that China has held an expeditionary voyage with a warship of this type.
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Chinese Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan. (Picture source: CGTN)

The far sea joint training flotilla under the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy recently returned to base after successfully carrying out a combat training mission in the South China Sea and the West Pacific over 30 days and across more than 9,000 nautical miles, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

Consisting of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Hohhot, the Type 054A guided missile frigate Liuzhou, and the Type 901 comprehensive replenishment ship Chaganhu, the flotilla started its mission from Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province in late January, CCTV reported.

Multiple mission groups including the Marines, helicopters and air-cushioned landing craft carried by the Hainan held deeply integrated exercises. In highly intense live-fire confrontational drills, the flotilla explored the limits of weapons and equipment, and optimized multiple tactics and training methods, according to the report.

This is the first time the Hainan has joined a far sea training mission since its commissioning on April 23, 2021 and its forming of complete operational capability in October 2022, and it displayed the vessel's high level of combat readiness, observers said.

Far sea drills allow the crews of vessels to familiarize themselves with the maritime environments and weather conditions in remote regions where missions could take place, and these are important factors in navigating ships and flying aircraft.

More unpredictable situations could arise in far sea exercises, where land-based forces cannot provide support, and foreign vessels and aircraft could also come to cause a disturbance.

About the Type 075

The Type 075 has a displacement of between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, and measures 237 meters (778 feet) in length. It is equipped with two H/PJ-14 30mm CIWS guns and two HQ-10 SAMs for self-defense.

The flight deck of the ship is 226 meters long and 36 meters wide. There are seven flight spots, six along the port side and one aft of the island. The forward aircraft elevator can carry one medium helicopter with rotors folded, while the stern elevator is larger and can carry Changhe Z-8 helicopters with rotors folded. The ship also has two weapons elevators located on the forward flight deck.