Type 073 / 073A / 073III landing ship

Service And Conflict Use

1. Jan 1, 1965

   Type 073 design is completed

   GlobalSecurity describes the Type 073 as the first medium-sized landing ship designed and built by China, with the design completed in the mid-1960s.

   Sources: GlobalSecurity Type 073 Landing Ship Medium [LSM]

2. Jan 1, 1991

   Type 073III prototype is completed

   Reference sources place the Type 073III prototype in the early 1990s and describe it as the more refined follow-on within the family.

   Sources: GlobalSecurity Type 073II Yudao-class medium landing ship, Military Factory Yunshu (class) / Type 073A

3. Jan 1, 2000

   Type 073A production batch appears

   Military Factory and reference listings identify the Type 073A/Yunshu batch as the mass-produced family member that followed the Type 073III prototype.

   Sources: Military Factory Yunshu (class) / Type 073A, GlobalSecurity Type 073II Yudao-class medium landing ship

Related Weapon Systems

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Naval SystemsOndatra-class landing craft (Project 1176)Landing craft mechanizedThe Ondatra-class landing craft, Soviet Project 1176 Akula, is a small mechanized landing craft built to move vehicles, cargo, and troops through a bow ramp. Soviet and Russian shipyards produced the class from 1971 to 2009, and open sources describe a shallow-draft 24-meter craft that can carry a T-72 tank or 20 troops.

Naval SystemsProject 775 Ropucha-class landing shipLanding ship tankThe Project 775 Ropucha-class landing ship is a Polish-built Soviet-era tank landing ship designed to beach troops, vehicles, and cargo directly ashore. The class entered service in 1977, was produced by Stocznia Polnocna in Gdansk, and includes 25 Project 775 ships plus three Project 775M ships.

Naval SystemsSerna-class landing craft (Project 11770)Air-cavity fast landing craftThe Serna-class landing craft, Russian Project 11770, is an air-cavity fast landing craft built for the Russian Navy to move vehicles, cargo, and assault troops directly onto an unimproved shore. Vostochnaya Verf built the class in Russia, and open sources describe a 30-knot craft that can carry one tank, two BTRs, or 92 troops.

Naval SystemsType 071 / Yuzhao-class amphibious transport dockChinese People's Liberation Army Navy amphibious transport dock classThe Type 071, known to NATO as the Yuzhao-class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy amphibious transport dock class built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai. The class gives the PLAN a large-deck amphibious lift ship with a well dock for Type 726 air-cushion landing craft, helicopter facilities, and room for marines, vehicles, and logistics support.

Naval SystemsType 072 / 072A / 072B / 072II / 072III landing shipTank landing ship familyThe Type 072 family is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy tank landing ship line that evolved from the original Type 072 into later Type 072II, 072III, and 072A batches. The family was built in China by multiple shipyards over time, with later variants adding a helicopter deck, higher troop and vehicle capacity, and improved superstructure arrangements for amphibious lift.

Sources