A scene of the live-fire drill Photo: WeChat account of the PLA Southern Theater Command

State broadcaster CCTV News reported on Saturday on a rare live-fire drill involving four of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's Type 071 amphibious dock landing ships. 

A Chinese military expert said the training could have involved a complex training simulation calling for multi-type landing ships to train together to prepare for island-reef assault, transportation and sovereignty defense missions in locations such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits.

According to the CCTV footage, a naval flotilla under the Southern Theater Command recently organized a task group for multi-subject combat-oriented training at sea. Footage showed the Type 071 landing ships Kunlunshan (Hull 998) and Changbaishan (Hull 989) sailing side by side.

The PLA Southern Theater Command's WeChat account said on Friday that the four Type 071 ships also included the Qilianshan (Hull 985) and Wuzhishan (Hull 987).

During one maneuver, combat alerts suddenly sounded. The ships quickly changed formation as orders came down from the combat command rooms and all stations coordinated closely together. Radar stations locked onto incoming targets, and the formation gave the order to engage. Main and secondary guns opened fire in succession, completing ­air-defense interception strikes.

Image of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's Type 071 amphibious dock landing ships Kunlunshan (Hull 998) and Changbaishan (Hull 989) Photo: WeChat account of the PLA Southern Theater Command

Between missions, simulated replenishment training was carried out. Ships quickly took up replenishment positions, prepared equipment and fired line-throwing devices, with officers and soldiers working in close coordination throughout.

The training closely followed real combat requirements, setting up realistic battlefield conditions to sharpen the formation's emergency response capabilities in complex sea and air conditions, the Southern Theater Command said.

The nearly 20,000-ton Type 071 ship is currently one of the PLA's main amphibious warfare assets. 

Its primary mission is to deliver amphibious vehicles, landing craft or air-cushioned landing craft to the optimal distance from the shoreline, and to serve as a temporary base for assaulting beaches, resupplying ammunition and provisions, and acting as a field hospital, according to CCTV's military channel.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that the Type 071 is the PLA Navy's main amphibious landing ship, primarily transporting tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment, and exists in large numbers across the fleet. These ships can carry a reinforced battalion, enough to handle general escort and offensive-defensive operations, and can also carry shipborne helicopters for vertical landings, making them a relatively comprehensive landing ship with three-dimensional attack and defense capabilities.

Wang said that in potential combat scenarios in the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits, the focus is on island and reef assault, transport and ­sovereignty defense. Considering the current complex nature of the South China Sea situation, training multiple landing ship types together takes into account potential future operations, he noted.

According to a caption of one of the images published by China Military Online on July 27, the Changbaishan, attached to a naval flotilla under the PLA Southern Theater Command, conducted joint operations in coordination with Z-20J shipborne helicopters and a landing craft air cushion during a multi-subject maritime training exercise in mid to late July.

In the future, the Type 071 can form even larger landing formations with the Type 075 and Type 076 amphibious assault ships, Wang noted. The Type 075 ship focuses on vertical landings and carrying more helicopters, the Type 076 can carry more drones, while the Type 071 might mainly carry amphibious tanks and armored vehicles, making the three tactically complementary.

Previously, CCTV reports on July 24 and 25 noted that two videos circulating online had drawn public attention. The footage in these videos shows naval Z-20J helicopters appearing on the decks of the Type 075 amphibious assault ships Hainan and Hubei. Notably, the Z-20J aboard the Hubei ­recently accompanied the carrier ship to a training area in the South China Sea for multi-subject combat-oriented drills.

This public display sends a clear signal that the new-generation utility helicopter is being integrated into the core configuration of the PLA Navy's amphibious operations. With the shipborne version of the Z-20 helicopter having takeoff and landing capabilities on Type 075 amphibious assault ships, China's amphibious warfare system has undergone a critical upgrade, CCTV said.