Zubr-class LCAC fully loaded.

In this recently 31st Group Army (or Combined Corps as they are now called) exercise,  a Zubr LCAC is offloading 5 ZBD-86B IFVs (Chinese BMP-1 mod) and a Type96MBT (similar size to a T-72 at ~42Tonnes), while the latest PLA Army IFVs is storming the beach on their own.   Perhaps they wanted to refine the  Zubr LCAC's SOP with known quality of Soviet goods before adding the newer and heavier Chinese IFV into its operations.

A ZBD-86B infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) pulls out of a LACA during a beach landing training exercise on May 14, 2016. A landing ship flotilla with the South China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy has been engaged in beach landing training in an undisclosed sea area of the South China Sea for several days in mid-May, 2016. The training highlighted the coordination between the crew of Landing Craft Air Cushion (LACA) and the troops of armored units in the loading and unloading of armored hardware. (81.cn/Xu Miaobo)

BEIJING, May 19 (ChinaMil) -- The 31st Combined Corps of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted 3D landing and assault drills in a sea area in south east China with the troops mixed into composite battalions.

The composite battalion is the basic combat strength module of the PLA Army. In accordance with operational capability and mission requirements, troops from more than 10 kinds of arms including infantry, armored force, artillery force, special operations force, army aviation force and electronic warfare force were grouped into composite battalions undertaking different tasks such as target seize and control, fire assault and sabotage operations. These combat modules are more flexible, adaptive and greater assault strength.

Chen Xiaoming, commander of a regiment, the 31st Combined Corps, said that in the exercise, operations of composite battalions were conducted with support of the joint operations system. The purpose of the drill is to comprehensively test and enhance the combat capabilities of the troops in mobile and three-dimensional offensive and defensive operations

PLAN decommission of the day: minesweepers 812 and 813

Together with most of the other decommissioned light vessels, they are now targets for live-ammo drills.


812 Xingcheng, commissioned Feb 5th, 1983

813 PanShan, commissioned Dec 25th, 1983 

Rare historical photos of the day: "Nanning" the first PLAN South Sea Fleet Flagship

In  Nov 14th, 1944, the IJN Type C escort ship #2404 was damaged by USS Ray off the Philippines. It was towed back to Guangzhou for scrap.  After the war, the PLAN was in need of ships thus trusted the restoration project to Xu ZhenQi, chief engineer of Jiangnan Shipyard.  After a period of four years (1951 to 1955) , the old #2404 was recommissioned as FF230 "Nanning", flagship of the South Sea Fleet. 

It's final decommission took place in 1979. 

 Type C in her old IJN color

Time to check into the status of China's second aircraft carrier currently under construction

Ski-jump is being installed.

so are other modules for the upper half.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

China's second aircraft carrier "Type 001A" confirmed

No rumor this time, just an actual confirmation by the Defense Ministry

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-12/31/c_134968258.htm

China building second aircraft carrier
English.news.cn   2015-12-31 17:17:39     [More]

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- China is designing and building its second aircraft carrier "completely on its own" in Dalian in northeastern Liaoning Province, a Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed Thursday.

This carrier, with a displacement of 50,000 tonnes, will be a base for J-15 fighters and other types of aircraft, Yang Yujun told a monthly press briefing.

Fixed-wing aircraft on the carrier will use a ski-jump to take off, he said.

The design and building of this second aircraft carrier has been based on experience, research and training on the first carrier, the Liaoning, he added.

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is a refitted Russian-made carrier delivered to the Chinese Navy on Sept. 25, 2012.

That said, for those who are following activities of the Chinese shipyards, this should comes as no surprise. really.  There are plenty of photos around the net verifying this construction project.

Rare historical photos of the day: Republic of China's T-26 Tank in 1949

82 T-26Mod were imported from the Soviet Union in 1933 to form the famed KMT 200th Mechanized Division.  They saw action throughout the "War of China's Resistance Against Japan" as well as the "Chinese Civil War" shortly afterward.

Surviving T-26s were shipped to Taiwan in 1949 from Shanghai to support the KMT garrison there, see photos below.

Photos of the day: Anti-blue smurf --Marine Recon of the ROC (Republic of China)

The ROC Marine Corps Command was reorganized on April 1, 2006. After successful reorganization, the Command included 12 units: the 66th Marine Brigade, the 77th Marine Brigade, the 99th Marine Brigade, Tri-Service Joint Combat Training Base, Wuchiu Garrison Command, Amphibious Armor Group, Amphibious Reconnaissance Group, Communications, Information, and Electronic Warfare Group, Beach Service Group, Beach Logistics Group and Corps HQ Battalion (source)

UAV Supply Drop

China's first intermediate and long-range unmanned aerial vehicle for emergency supply delivery finished its maiden flight on Tuesday.

The craft can deliver 15 kilograms of materials up to 80 kilometers, and drop the supplies within 15 meters of the target.

PLA Marine to carry out a three-month long exercise near South China Sea.

Amphibious armored vehicles carrying marines drive out of the stern gate of an amphibious transport dock ship in a float-crossing training on May 10, 2016. A brigade with the Marine Corps of the PLA Navy started its three-month realistic maritime training exercise in an undisclosed sea area off the western coast of South China's Guangdong Province in early May. (81.cn/Mu Keshuang)