Nanjing MR Landing Ship Unit

Unlike other major military organizations, The PLA ground force also has organic landing ship units attached to each of the coastal Military Regions (MR).   Nanjing MR's landing ship units are particularly strong -- boosting its own mobile dry dock and other support ships.   However, those small LSMs are small and only capable of reaching out 110 miles to the Pacific, East of Nanjing. 

Those amphibious assets are not tracked by most PLA watchers and generally ignored by those with only a passing interest.  

 

The Army's own.  (N stands for Nanjing)

Previous blog entry;

Friday, March 19, 2010

An Army At Sea

Besides the PLAN, the Army also has an organic fleet for amphibious operations. Curious to see what "combat team" means.

Army vessels conduct exercise on sea

http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2010-03/19/content_4156420.htm

(Source: PLA Daily) 2010-03-19

At the beginning of the Year of Tiger, a vessel group of the Nanjing Military Area Command (MAC) of the PLA staged a maritime joint combat exercise in complex electromagnetic environment in a sea area of the East China Sea, symbolizing the leap of the army vessel troop unit from a “support team” to a “combat team”.

Since the founding of the team 8 years ago, the team has gradually gotten rid of the traditional mode of self-training, self-examination and self-assessment and actively carried out trans-theatre training, trans-sea-area support and trans-arm-and-service cooperation. It carried out joint trainings and joint exercises with more than 30 specialized teams of 10-plus arms and services in succession.

When it took back a batch of new equipment last November, it organized trainings on a multiple of key and difficult subjects including night navigation, navigation under foggy condition, navigation in the sea area with submerged reef, and navigation by breaking the ice in its voyage of more than 1,000 nautical miles.

In recent years, the team participated in 40-plus key exercises and trainings in succession with a total voyage of more than 240,000 nautical miles, and transported troops for more than 80,000 persons/times and heavy equipment for more than 3,000 units. Therefore, it was awarded the title of “Outstanding Unit in Military Training” by the general headquarters/departments of the PLA and the Nanjing MAC.

By Ni Minzhi and Duan Yaohui

Editor:Yang Ru

Landing and Support Ships of the Nanjing MR

An update on the Type 071 Yuzhao Class LPD program.

The second Type 071 Yuzhao Class LPD Pennant No 999(Jinggang Shan) has left the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard to undergo sea trials. The third Ships of this class under construction  is also visible.

Jinggang Shan

Previous blog entry

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Second Type 071 Yuzhao Class LPD Launched.

Photos taken last night by HSH in Shanghai. Possible pennant number 999.

To compare --photos of LPD 998 taken in December 23rd, 2006

Franco-russe's view on PLAN's orbat change and its implication on the escort group for carrier 01

As an expert on the PLA orbat, his view is always welcome.

The changes that will reportedly occur in the East Sea Fleet are to a certain degree linked to the development of the South Sea Fleet: While the total number of PLAN frigate squadrons will be stable at eleven, the ESF is going to lose one squadron (going from five to four), while the SSF will gain one (from four to five).

The ESF will lose a squadron when the 4 Type 053H3 are transferred to 3 Frigate Squadron at Ningde, following the transfer of the second pair of 053H2G to 8 Frigate Squadron at Wusong.

The transformation of 3 Frigate Squadron has already begun, insofar as the first two Type 053H, 515 XIAMEN and 517 NANPING were decommissioned late 2010.

With the transfer of the 053H3, 16 Frigate Squadron of 6 Destroyer Flotilla will lose its ships. The squadron should therefore be available and ready to re-form as the SSF’s second Type 054A squadron in 9 Destroyer Flotilla at Yulin.

If the building programme at Huangpu and Hudong follows the pattern established so far, the timetable for the last seven 054A might look like this:

Hull 10 HD 5 launched 27.04.11, delivery 03.12 as 546 YANCHENG, the second and last for NSF’s 14 Frigate Squadron at Lushun.

Hull 11 HP 6 launched 20.05.11, delivery 04.12 as 550 SIPING for ESF’s 15 Frigate Squadron.

Hull 12 HP 7 launch 02.12, delivery 01.13 as 572 as first for SSF’s “16 Squadron” at Yulin.

Hull 13 HD 6 launch 04.12, delivery 03.13 as 547, the fourth and last for ESF’s 15 Squadron.

Hull 14 HP 8 launch 11.12, delivery 10.13 as 573 for “16 Squadron”

Hull 15 HD 7 launch 04.13, delivery 03.14 as 574 for “16 Squadron”

Hull 16 HD 8 launch 04.14, delivery 03.15 as 575, fourth and last for “16 Squadron”

I do not think that Hudong can speed up their construction cycle, as they still have to complete not only Type 071 Hull 2, now on first sea trials, but also Hulls 3 and 4 in 2012-13. While waiting to see what both will do after Type 054A, Huangpu could usefully build four Type 056 (for Hong Kong).

The new 16 Frigate Squadron will thus start forming at Yulin in late 2013 and be completed early 2015.

The principal mission of the thus constituted 9 Destroyer Flotilla will be the act as the escort group for carrier 01, which I think will be ready to deploy from Dalian to Yulin in 2015.

The air group for the carrier should also be forming in 2015. The J-15 regiment would, I think, logically be 24 Avn Regt at Jialai, now flying J-7EH. As the production run of J-15 will probably not be very long, a second J-15 regiment should be forming soon after, perhaps 25 Avn Regt at Linshui, now with J-8H.
Sanya-Yaxing is well placed to receive the carrier’s helicopter regiment, whether it will have KA-28 or an ASW version of Z-8. The present 7 Ind Avn Regt may possibly relocate to the small helicopter field Zhanjiang-Puzai.

Photos of the day: USS Boxer in HongKong

Such firepower; perhaps it is a gentle reminder to the PLAN that they still have a long way to go regarding naval power projection.

Flap Your Wings

J-20's maneuverability in stop-motions

Photo of the day: People's Armed Police in Iraq.

Unlike their US counterpart, Chinese Embassies are not protected by the Military (Marine Corps Embassy Security Group) but rather by the PAP. Here are some photos of a newly arrived PAP detachment to the Chinese Embassy in Iraq.