The PLA Navy has recently introduced a new air cushion landing craft design, which is clearly intended for the recently-commissioned Type 071 landing platform dock (LPD) Kunlunshan (998). The craft is very similar to the U.S. Navy LCAC in size and role. An LCAC is capable of carrying 60~75 tonnes of cargo, armament, or personnel from the amphibious warfare ship in the offshore water to shore at high-speed. Equivalently the Chinese version of the LCAC is also expected to carry heavy load such as the ZTZ99 or ZTZ96 main battle tank.
A Chinese LCAC carried onboard a flatbed transport ship (Source: Chinese Internet)
The Chinese LCAC also uses a similar arrangement to the U.S.N. LCAC, but with the driving/command module located on the port side instead of the starboard side of the vessel. The vessel has both bow and stern ramps for fast loading/unloading of troops and vehicles. Two shrouded reversible-pitch propellers are located at the stern of the vessel. The vessel appears to have four gas turbines. It is not known whether the they are indigenous designs or based on the Russian or Ukrainian technology.
Each Type 071 LPD could probably fit 2~3 of the Chinese LCAC in its floodable bay. The use of LCAC enables the LPD to launch amphibious assaults from points over the horizon, thereby decreasing risk to ships and personnel by enemy anti-ship weaponry and generating greater uncertainty in the enemy’s coast defence planning. LCAC could operate in waters regardless of depth, underwater obstacles, shallows or adverse tides. It can even proceed inland on its air cushion, regardless of terrain such as mud flats, sand dunes, ditches, riverbanks, or slippery and icy shorelines.
A Chinese LCAC being moved onboard a transport ship by the crane (Source: Chinese Internet)
