Yunshu (class) / Type 073A

Medium-class Landing Ship / Amphibious Assault Support Vessel

China | 2000

"The Yunshu-class of landing ships would take center stage in an all-out Chinese invasion of neighboring Taiwan."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/21/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

The Yunshu-class of landing ships serving the modern People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China encompasses ten named ships in the series - from "Mount Sheng" to "Mount Tai". The ships are known to the West under the name of "Type 073A" and were used by the PLAN to succeed the earlier Type 073III series. Commissioned service of the design began in 2000 and the vessels form parts of the East Sea and South Sea Fleets.

The ships are classified as "medium" vessels in the PLAN inventory, intended for the amphibious assault role, and have been consistent participants in the Chinese "show-of-force" when it comes to neighboring Taiwan. The hull series in the class (as of June 2022) are 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, and 950.

The ships displace 2,000 tons under full load and have a bow-to-stern length of 285 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and a draught of 7.4 feet. Power is from 2 x 6PA6L-380 marine diesel engines developing 4,750 horsepower to 2 x Shafts astern. The vessel can make headway at 17 knots in ideal conditions and range out to 1,500 nautical miles. The crew complement numbers seventy personnel. Armament is purely defensive in nature, made up of 2 x 37mm Type 76 series automatic cannons for the Anti-Aircraft (AA) role, these fitted to a turret emplacement at the forecastle. Also carried are 122mm Type 81H surface-to-surface rockets for the land assault.

The hull features a split door, "clam-shell" opening at the bow to release the cargo within once pressed up onto shorelines. The bridge superstructure sits aft of midships and is capped by various radar and communications sensors. The bridge section itself is given a commanding view over the bow of the vessel. The cargo hold has the capacity to house up to 250 tons of cargo. In lieu of this, the hull is designed to transport up to 5 x Combat tanks or 10 x Light vehicles or 500 x Combat-ready infantry.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for Yunshu (class) / Type 073A.

2 x 6PA6L-380 marine diesel engines developing 4,750 horsepower to 2 x Shafts astern.
Propulsion

17.0 kts
19.6 mph
Surface Speed

1,477 nm
1,700 miles | 2,736 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of Yunshu (class) / Type 073A.

70
Personnel
Complement

285.0 ft
86.87 meters
O/A Length

41.0 ft
12.50 meters
Beam

7.4 ft
2.26 meters
Draught

2,000
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of Yunshu (class) / Type 073A.

1 x 37mm Type 76 Anti-Aircraft (AA) automatic cannons in single twin-gunned turret over the bow.
1 x 122mm Type 81H land-attack rocket launcher.

Ships-in-Class (10)
Notable series variants as part of the Yunshu (class) / Type 073A family line as relating to the Yunshu-class (Type 073A) group.

CNS Shengshan (941); CNS Lushan (942); CNS Mengshan (943); CNS Yushan (944); CNS Huashan (945); CNS Songshan (946); CNS Lushan (947); CNS Xueshan (948); CNS Hengshan (949); CNS Taishan (950)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the Yunshu (class) / Type 073A. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

Shipbuilder(s): State Shipyards - China

[ China ]

1 / 1

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to seaborne requirements.

AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT

CLOSE-TO-SHORE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
Yunshu (class) / Type 073A Medium-class Landing Ship / Amphibious Assault Support Vessel appears in the following collections:

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