China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy launched its first Type 075 big-deck amphibious assault ship in Shanghai on 26 September. Expected to commission as soon as next year, the as-yet-unnamed warship appears similar to Western-style landing helicopter docks. With an estimated 35,000-ton displacement, 820-foot length, and 98-foot beam, the Type 075 appears comparable to Italy’s 33,000-ton, 804-foot Trieste-class amphibious assault ship launched this past spring. Both warships are slightly smaller than the U.S. Navy’s 41,000-ton, 847-foot Wasp-class and 45,000-ton, 844-foot America-class amphibious assault ships. The Type 075 can reportedly support up to 30 rotary-wing aircraft and likely transport 1,000 or more troops and associated equipment. It is fitted with a floodable well deck for use with air-cushioned landing craft, similar in concept to the U.S. Navy’s operation of Landing Craft Air Cushion-class hovercraft. At least three Type 075s are planned to enter service in the next decade.
The Italian Navy decommissioned its last two Minerva-class corvettes, the Driade (pictured) and Chimera, on 25 September. They were the fifth and sixth units, respectively, of the eight-ship class and had entered service in 1991. The 1,200-ton warships have a 284-foot length, a 34-foot beam, and a roughly 16-foot draft. Two diesel engines provided a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 3,500 nautical miles while cruising at 18 knots. The corvettes were employed to undertake surveillance, provide coastal escort, protect fisheries and Italy’s exclusive economic zone, conduct training and search-and-rescue missions, and conduct humanitarian assistance operations along the coastline. They were crewed by 113 personnel and armed with an array of weapons, including a 3-inch gun, an 8-round Albatros surface-to-air missile system, and 2 triple torpedo tubes for antisubmarine warfare. Several Minerva-class corvettes have been transferred to the Bangladesh Coast Guard, while others currently are awaiting disposal.