While not much is published about the actual capabilities of Chinese amphibious shipping, there is one source available; the PLA Officers Handbook. This reference, which all officers have to purchase, is, of course written in Chinese. But this handbook is not classified and is sold quite openly. This is a custom the Chinese picked up from the Russians. The Handbook gives the technical details of Chinese amphibious shipping, so that officers can calculate what can be carried in each type of ship. The Chinese LSTs (landing ship, tank) can carry 2,000 tons, versus the 800 ton figure usually given by Western analysts.
The Type 067 landing craft is described in rather alarming terms, if you're are a Taiwanese general. The Handbook gives the Type 067 a capacity of 50 tons, a range of 800 kilometers, endurance of ten days at sea, and the ability to operate in rough water while using its own navigation system. There are actually three different Type 067s, the first version began building in the 1970s. There are about 130 of these. The second version, of which 300 are available is substantially the same. But the third version, which began building in the late 1990s, is still being built. A scaled up version of the Type 067, the Type 271, can carry the latest, heavier (50 ton) Chinese tanks. The Handbook also refers to hundreds of commercial ferries and barges that can be used for amphibious operations against Taiwan, and describes how they would be loaded with military equipment. The Handbook indicates that there is sufficient lift for 250 infantry and mechanized (tank and mechanized infantry) battalions. That's about twenty divisions. There is additional shipping (mostly civilian) for moving support units. Note that the Handbook is not a piece of propaganda, but a practical manual describing how the Chinese would go about making war. |