Landing operations of the revolution
As the name suggests, dock landing ship with nature is a kind of ocean-going sailing ability, can carry amphibious landing craft air cushion landing craft and warships. It has a large dock to accommodate the landing craft tanks, in combat, the aft cabin door open water injection, for the amphibious landing craft, amphibious tanks and hovercraft and out. Meanwhile, the modern dock landing ship also has a helicopter landing platform, database and can be equipped with transport helicopters, a vertical crack down on the enemy coastline.
Compared with the traditional landing ships, dock landing ship in the combat mode and combat capability is definitely a revolutionary step forward. Our previous equipment, large landing ship, although as high as several thousand tons displacement, and also add some landing ship helicopter landing platform, but did not dock landing ship tank, so its still a beach landing landing approach, the landing ship needs close to several hundred meters or even tens of meters from the coastline Department to open bow of the “mouth” landing. This amphibious landing approach, landing craft are often subjected to enemy fire hit coastal defense, a beachhead “target.” Dock landing ship with a “picture-style” landing mode, carrier can not close the beaches, the coastline in the distance could be farther from the release and transport helicopters, landing craft launch and landing operations, the safety of landing platform with a certain degree of protection.
Dock landing ship with a huge tonnage, it has unmatched by conventional landing craft ship in space and life, which brings two major benefits: The life and occupant comfort. Great life can make dock landing ship offshore deployment, and deployment of its time at sea longer, so a dock landing ship of the hot spots can be sustained for months deterrence.
Crew comfort is equally important, dock landing ship combat mode is carrying hundreds of Marines and equipment were deployed at sea, in the long voyage, the soldier’s physical and mental state is essential to provide adequate space so soldiers can ship to physical training and small-scale tactical exercise to maintain their physical fitness and quality of basic tactics. Landing ship dock ships because of its large internal space, and helicopters taking off and landing platform for the Marine Corps can provide long deployment at sea.
We compare the dock landing ship tank landing ship and the performance of large-scale, we can easily find dock landing ship has a great advantage.
Retired United States, “Newport” class tank landing ships, for example, load displacement of 8,450 tons of its length 159 m, carrying capacity is not small, and can be carrying 400 fully armed soldiers, 10 tanks or armored vehicles. New tank landing ship also has a helicopter platform, capable of accommodating two medium transport helicopters. Dock landing ship of the load displacement usually tons, such as the U.S., “San Antonio” class dock landing ship load displacement of 25,000 tons, but carrying personnel and equipment is not too much, in general, “San Antonio” class only carrying a battalion of marines (including personnel and equipment). In the full load displacement of almost 3 times the case, the dock landing ship carrying personnel and equipment, the amount was only slightly more Bi Tanke landing ships, dock landing ship then the advantage lie?
The difference lies in the sea holding force and the diversity of vehicles carried. Large tank landing ship’s maximum speed of about 20, life is usually only 3000 to 4000 nautical miles, such as “Newport” class tank landing ship’s life to only 2,500 nautical miles offshore holding force of 10-15 days. As the tank landing ship carrying a large number of personnel and equipment needed supplies, maintenance equipment, supplies and other materials can not be obtained through the sea, and have to follow the formation of offshore supply ship fuel, tank landing ships at sea can not be a long time, “swinging.” Dock landing ship of life is much larger than tank landing ships. “San Antonio” holding force at sea level has not “sea” to measure up. It is six months at sea deployment time, that is, after service in the class ship, at sea for 6 months before they need to return to a port (of course half-way to its need for oil supply ship replenishment at sea). In the U.S. Navy’s operations manual, “San Antonio” class set sail to bring the Marine Corps, will use 1 month or so rushed to the hot spots, and then in the region for a 4-month deterrent patrol, the ship’s landing Teams always on alert, ready to launch the regional situation as small-scale amphibious assault. This task, in any case with a tank landing ship was not completed. Tank landing ship to the narrow cabin and deck so bored Marines inside the first half, not always maintain the combat readiness of the soldiers to come ashore and whether a firm has been a problem.
For the marines, the dock landing ship is not a temporary dwelling of their own means of transport, but a semi-permanent barracks. If necessary, a dock landing ship recruits could be trained as a soldier. Dock landing ship with everything we have in camp: more spacious living space, the necessary space, weight training, weapons and vehicles operating sites, or even range.
In the 1982 Falklands War, the British sent a large naval amphibious fleet, but Britain was not yet equipped with dock landing ship or amphibious assault ship, across the Atlantic Ocean sea-crossing process, in order to keep Marines on board physical and operational status of the soldiers, the British navy to use the accompanying two aircraft carriers and container ships, Marine Corps soldiers in batches by helicopter to the carrier, the flight deck as their training ground, drill team with a variety of tactical actions and . Precisely because of the sea “training camp”, these temporary mobilization marines after a long sea voyage, not only the problem of declining state does not appear, but use this time to study the tactics of navigation, and terrain for the Falklands made a specific exercise, so then began the landing operations more smoothly. Because of this, the United Kingdom can be used for ocean-going deployment of amphibious ships are very concerned about the reduction in the funding situation year after year, still 90′s of last century up to 20,000 tons displacement built the “Ocean” was a helicopter carrier.
If the traditional landing ship “from land to land” combat landing, dock landing ships and amphibious assault ship the Navy was to provide a “from sea to land,” the combat capability. Of course, to realize “from sea to land,” the combat, only a dock landing ship is not enough, also need to have offshore fleet, precision-guided weapons and supported by carrier-based air combat forces, but the dock landing ship is one of the key links .
Why not through the deck?
Domestic service in the dock landing ship before the Japanese “Dayu” level, South Korea, “Dokdo” class dock landing ship had been put into active service. Although the same for the dock landing ship, the ship in Japan and Korea are more “modern”, with direct flight deck and lift, in appearance resembles a light aircraft carrier, so the two ship-often referred to as “quasi-carrier.” Domestic dock landing ships aft there is a larger helicopter landing platform, tall the bridge is still central. The ship caused the appearance of the traditional concerns of many military fans in this the author tries to talk about their own views.
Dock landing ship carrying a landing platform, the main feature is the use of helicopters, landing craft and air cushion landing craft and other mechanical sub-carriers, the troops sent to enemy beaches, launch and landing operations. Because of their means of delivery, determines the basic elements of dock landing ship dock is aft of the tank and helicopter platforms. Amphibious assault ship is the dock landing ship can be considered the “enhanced version”, which not only has a docking compartment, carry their own weapons (including ship-based weapons and vertical landing combat / attack aircraft) are also very strong can be said that the amphibious assault ship In the dock landing ship based on the increase of the air strike capability, with a “land attack” of the dock landing ship.
Take-off from the amphibious assault ship air combat force, currently there are mainly two: armed helicopters and vertical / short take-fighting / attack aircraft. As the marine environment salt spray and water vapor on the corrosion of combat aircraft have a strong role, belonging to the armed forces army aviation helicopter before without a special transformation is not used directly onto the ship, in addition, anti-landing square in the firepower cases, the vitality of the helicopter has been a major problem. Amphibious assault ship can use tools mainly rely on air strikes vertical / short take-fighting / attack aircraft.
The United States is the world’s only amphibious assault ship equipped with the state, the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship is mainly responsible for the two roles, the use of helicopters, LCAC or conventional landing craft delivery unit, the second is to use the AV-8B vertical / short distance from the down the implementation of carrier aircraft with limited sea control tasks and the use of ocean anti-submarine anti-submarine helicopters. As the F-35B will serve, the United States is now preparing for the existing fleet of amphibious assault ship Dress F-35B. F-35B in the Dress, the amphibious assault ship in the sea control will be greatly enhanced. Although the amphibious assault ship can not carry warning planes, the future development of UAV technology unmanned carrier-based early warning aircraft may become a reality, then the United States, the displacement of 40,000 tons of the amphibious assault ship Jiang have strong maritime control, be sufficient light of other countries or even medium-sized aircraft carrier operations.
Japan and South Korea were not the introduction of AV-8B, so they built “Dayu” level and “Dokdo” level, the were not prepared to carry the vertical / short-range carrier-based aircraft landing. Japan has joined the “Joint Strike Fighter” program, but so far, Japan’s only going to use F-35A, the conventional takeoff and landing, the Japanese Self-Defense Force Air Force equipment. “Dokdo” class can not fit on the lift F-35B, of its hangar size also does not take into account the need to carry these aircraft, “Dayu” level the structure is more simple, and not set under the hangar deck. Although the two ships can theoretically be achieved through large-scale transformation of carrying 4 to 6 F-35B (“Osumi” class can be tethered directly to the deck F-35B) of the target, but such a big change takes a long time and money, not from the cost that a light aircraft such as the new office, after all, South Korea and Japan is the world’s largest ship design and construction of a light aircraft carrier is not insurmountable difficulties. The construction of Japan “quasi carriers” to prove that Japan’s East Asian security threat is redundant, we all know that current technology to the Japanese strength, can easily Jianzao a fairly good medium-sized aircraft carrier Xingneng hull, do not use “Dayu” level to What technology demonstrator aircraft carrier.
Therefore, were unable to carry the vertical / short take the case of carrier aircraft, the “big corner,” and “Dokdo” class dock landing ship and domestic performance in combat is not qualitatively different. In the dock landing ship using the straight deck, also need to pay a certain price, large size makes the flight deck of the ship structure, larger weight and cabin space is limited and so on. Of course, straight for the ship-borne helicopter landing deck has some advantages, in through the deck of the dock landing ship, the helicopter can take off by way of short-range roll, as opposed to completely “straight up and down” the fixed take-off mode, short-range can increase the number of take-off roll off load, but the gap is not significant.
Dock landing ship made amphibious ships offshore, as our first attempt, technically conservative design is forgiven, the same time as the dock landing ship, its main function modules (dock space, and helicopters taking off and landing systems) were already available, with the most basic of combat capability, so the design is more successful. Along with the construction of shipbuilding technology and accumulation of experience in the design of future amphibious ships will also become more sophisticated.
Maritime territorial disputes in the limited war
Due to historical reasons, China some time after the founding of the Nansha Islands sea area is not effectively controlled, resulting in most of the Nansha Islands and 60,70 in the last century’s neighboring countries were occupied. They say, easy to allay it, please God, in the neighboring countries has resulted in the fact that the situation holds, although today’s Chinese Navy already has the ability to cruise Spratly Islands, but the forces of surface ships and submarines from the need to defend the interests of Nansha is still considerable distance.
Peace and development have become mainstream of the world today, forced by large-scale war to recover the possibility of the Nansha islands and reefs occupied a small, but equally, through international negotiations and diplomatic pressure is difficult to recover the Nansha interests. The status of the Nansha Islands to the Chinese Navy made a pointed question. To solve this dilemma, we need not only to long-range cruise of the Spratlys and the aircraft carrier air power, in fact, the low intensity of the “limited war”, in a number of surface warships with cooperation from the dock landing ship more to “skillfully deflected the” role. Dock landing ship of balance and versatility, a Navy combat operations in the Spratly Islands offers a variety of options.
War for limited objectives of the British maritime strategist Julian Corbett made in the last century, “sea limited war” theory. Corbett that maritime rights and interests in the form of struggle can be divided into all-out war and limited war, total war aim is to comprehensively beat the hostile country, to destroy the capacity of countries into the sea, and limited war aim is to beat each other in a particular field, thus achieve a certain strategic objectives. Spratly Islands dispute, the parties appear to have a limited objective. Nansha Islands and neighboring countries, we occupy, to obtain a copy of the Nansha area of marine resources; and China also are seeking recovery of reefs, rather than destroy the military forces around the country. In this premise, any party to war hastily magnification, from low-intensity skirmishes upgrade to the large-scale war, not a wise move, in addition to wreak havoc outside the country’s strategic resources, the geographic sensitivity may also result in the Nansha Islands other powers involved in the Spratly Islands conflict, making the situation more complicated struggle.
Nansha Islands, reefs are numerous, but these islands were not great. Taiping Island, the largest of which is currently the only two companies of military scale, the Nansha Islands in the Pacific Islands is the only self-capacity of freshwater island, not only the Nansha Islands and other smaller area, including all materials, including fresh water have to rely on foreign supplies. Fewer of these troops (usually only several dozen people), supply dependence on the mainland of enemy occupied islands, dock landing ship from the sea using a raid to seize and stick to a certain time, is entirely feasible technically.
Dock landing ship with a longer self-sustaining power and life at sea, it is a deployment at sea of ships, while the large navigable tank landing ship is a ship at sea. Dock landing ship carrying Marines in the Nansha area is a normal combat patrol, but contains a large tank landing ship squadron appeared in the Nansha area is often considered a prelude to large-scale military operations. Conventional landing craft at sea while holding force is limited, can only stay in the Nansha sea area a few days, during this time, neighboring countries may be alert and response measures taken in diplomacy. Therefore, the use of dock landing ship launched against the enemy occupied island “limited attack”, can be reached at the battle of sudden.
Contrast from the strength point of view, dock landing ship carrying a Marine Corps battalion size, fully capable of winning the mandate of a single enemy occupied islands and reefs. Dock landing ship itself is installed in the caliber gun and a number of short-range carrier-based suppression of firearms, for the Marine Corps can provide some fire support. As the carrying capacity of amazing, the recovery after the enemy occupied islands and reefs, we can use the ship carrying the equipment and materials, the rapid construction of fortifications on the islands and reefs and sovereignty of signs, to the garrison stationed on the island, hoarding supplies needed for long stick and ammunition.
Naval blockade and limited deterrence
Limited war aim is to find each other at the strategic layout of “Achilles heels”, by just right of the local hit, the other completely passive. Layout Spratly Islands in the reefs, making it is easy to identify the conflict, the “key points” on a particular one or two reefs to fight and recover, to achieve our strategic goal. 90 in the last century the struggle against the Philippine sea, we build through the capture and base Mischief Reef, departing from the Philippines, local tender must only control the Mischief Reef area, making the Philippines in the Nansha islands and reefs occupied caught unprecedented passive. Similarly, in the struggle against the sea of other countries, we can use this “key point” tactics, that is to occupy a key reefs to form other potential enemy occupied islands and reefs of the siege of its transport fleet supply the formation of block.
Dock landing ship involved in the form of a naval blockade, in cooperation with surface vessels in the sea area of conflict for a long period of combat cruise. Dock landing ship a large helicopter platform, and the hull large, have good ability of airworthiness and anti-wave, suitable for such in the Nansha area of high sea and patrol. Naval blockade of the main target is the enemy starting from the local transport fleet. Depend on the situation as the two sides, blocking can be divided into maritime surveillance, expelled enemy ships, other vessels such as detention and sinking of several grades, which supplies much-needed support for a very deadly enemy occupied islands and reefs.
Naval blockade is a form of limited war, the purpose of a naval blockade, through military deterrence, to occupy the neighboring countries of the Spratlys, in fact unsustainable, so we get more at the negotiating table the initiative. At the same time, participate in a naval blockade of the fleet also requires the implementation of stronger strength of military operations, which the adversary is also a real threat. Yao away from the direction of the mainland of China to implement a naval blockade, not only need the ability to offshore activities, surface warships, also needs the participation of dock landing ship. Because the dock landing ship not only for sea blockade, but also a sudden deterioration in the situation in the negotiations as soon as the “sea blockade” into a “limited war”, can provide more options for policy-makers.
Protect our reefs of the Nansha Islands on the control reefs our conditions very difficult. These reefs are a very small area, and the Spratly Islands and other reefs, as supplies and ammunition needed transportation from the rear. In addition, troops are not many, we control the reefs also exists the danger of attacks by neighboring countries. Our surface ships currently cruising the density of the Spratly Islands has significantly increased than in the past, but still not have enough ships to do at any time in the deployment of the Nansha sea area, dock landing ship made after the service, to fill gaps in China’s amphibious capabilities, the use of in the ocean, while amphibious assault operations, but also for the defense of our occupied islands and reefs.
Dock landing ship at sea in the use of defensive operations, above all, reinforcements and supplies for reefs. Use of dock landing ship carrying landing craft and helicopters, able to ship 100 kilometers away from our reefs emergency transport materials and personnel to enhance the island’s defense forces to fight the enemy’s invasion. Secondly, the deployment of the Nansha sea dock landing ship also provides a vital force for the islands and reefs when we were temporarily seized, the dock landing ship can launch a counterattack against the enemy, to regain the islands and reefs. If there is no deployment of dock landing ship at sea, the enemy is likely to occupy the reefs for a long period of time, whether on the battlefield or in foreign affairs, will be very negative.
Large-scale war in the dock landing ship
China is a country with 18,000 kilometers of coastline and numerous islands of the sea state, and reunification has not been completed, the issue of sovereignty in a number of islands, also in dispute with neighboring countries. And destroyers, frigates, submarines, warships and other main compared to the Navy landing ship and equipment in our sequence does not introduce attention, but it undertakes the task of cross-sea transportation of combat troops, in addition to Xisha, Nansha port of the island who can not build the task of conveying material supplies, the importance least as much as any of the other ships.
Landing craft from the world development, the large, universal has become a trend, such as the United States, Britain, France, Italy and other States are equipped with large-scale amphibious landing ships are strong and are developing more advanced, larger tonnage of , faster speed landing craft, and these countries, China Fleet landing there is a big shortage of transport capacity also. China’s neighboring countries are also rapidly expanding its navy amphibious ships, in addition to Japan and Korea, ASEAN and South Asian countries are by way of the arms purchase from abroad and even used a large landing ship dock landing ship.
To improve the transport capacity and increase the use of landing ships, landing craft to the future to large-scale, balanced development. Dock landing ship loaded a large quantity, life force, self-sustaining and strong, anti-wave is good, versatile, can better achieve “balanced loading” and were far from the sea long-term deployment, greatly improve the combat capability of landing ships and the use of flexible sex.
Examples from the world view of landing operations, pay more attention to the speed of modern landing operations, since landing fall backs, is the most difficult kind of fighting. If the sea-crossing time and the assault landing time is shortened to give the enemy no doubt be fully prepared and greatly enhance the opportunities for success in landing operations. At this point, our landing craft are not the most satisfactory manner. Active landing ships from our situation, hovercraft and helicopters capable of carrying not more, and landing ship speed was generally small. Especially in the formation after the addition of civilian vessels, the speed varies due to various ships, and sea-crossing to ensure the formation of the unified rate will have great difficulty. In addition, a local sea war in the future, the beach landing operations against the enemy when landing because the setting is not only combined with fire plan, and natural and artificial obstacles and obstructions combined with the temporary setting of early set formed by combining an extremely dense barrier system. In this case, the former shore landing plane direct approach has gradually given way to combat use of amphibious assault ships, large air cushion landing craft, helicopters, three-dimensional vertical landing combat methods. These new tools, a large number of landing equipment, the modern landing operations faster, better maneuverability, and can focus on the enemy across the beach obstacles and fortified the coast, deep in the enemy’s landing, landing operations out of the past, with backs to the adverse situation, greatly speed up the process of landing.
The demand for combat operations against Taiwan, China continue to expand the traditional landing fleet size, the should be equipped with a number of dock landing ship, and develop to the hovercraft, a large ground-effect plane, helicopter landing, and other new tools to break the traditional style of landing operations development of integrated joint operations capability.
Integrated theory of the essence of joint landing: formation of a high degree of synthetic full-time troops in Landing Operation to independently carry out combat missions. The force size is not necessarily great, but the financial land, sea and air combat capability in one, dedicated landing ship activities with soldiers, helicopters are configured with the ship, and a certain air and sea assault on the fire. Integrated joint forces usually ship tactical units have a certain attack, transport, and self-protection of sea-crossing and landing assault force, with strong mobility and synthetic. Once the War, just sent out several vessels or the dozens of ships, will be able to form a certain scale amphibious assault force.
Synthesis of this elite fighting force, not only to avoid the use of different types of ships and temporary services and arms to bring some of the drawbacks, and can reduce the threat of high-tech weapons. In rough seas, assault landing stage, the landing force distributed independently, avoiding the high-tech weapons has caused a greater combat casualties. U.S. and British coalition forces in the second Middle East War Battle of Port Said, direct transmission from the ship-borne helicopter for vertical landing, a helicopter landing in the history of using the first vertical landing. U.S. invasion of Grenada, the troops landed in 6000, of whom only 250 were landed by landing craft, and the other by the transport umbrella, landing and take a helicopter landing.
Super-horizon assault landing 80 of the last century since the United States first proposed the landing operations tactics. The tactics required in the future high-tech local wars crossing and landing operations, 2 / 3 of the troops to take “from the shore to shore,” or “from the ship to shore” in the form of air transport to the enemy launched a surprise attack, and quickly follow-up to the enemy coast mobile combat forces, timely expansion of victories, winning landing beaches and landing field, landing operations rapidly to achieve the purpose. Super-horizon assault landing theory, its essence is to rely on high-tech landing tools, rapid transport landing forces ashore. The one hand this way from the landing force of basic underwater obstacles, and high speed landing spot formation can transfer area or pan of water set up in a place far from the coast, reducing the enemy fire on the landing transport ship coast boat threat.
Landing operations conducted over the horizon, must be equipped with landing craft or amphibious assault ship dock. Dock landing ship used in amphibious air-cushion landing craft has a good nature, not only travel but also directly on the water landing, the landing troops with weapons and vehicles, materials sent to the enemy with the cast of the lateral line of defense, thus eliminating the interference from the beach water landing this difficult stage, which greatly accelerated the assault landing speed. To take such a landing approach, by beach topography and hydrology, and sea restrictions greatly reduced, making the landing area conducive to greater choice lots more, faster mobility, and further increases the landing direction and landing site variability, and landing operations to achieve sudden, realized the assault landing in the distance and speed.
Taiwan’s integration in joint operations, the dock landing ship landing fleet combined with the traditional, not only to visit the battlefield to achieve positive integration and diversification, and dock landing ship as a balanced loading capacity and greater endurance, you can Taiwan to launch the secondary direction of small-scale diversionary landing operations. Landing ship dock ships required to meet the less, the basic control command of the sea in the waters or even single-ship actions, to use its air-cushion landing craft and helicopters, weak defense against the enemy’s flank and rear of the coastline to launch battalion-scale landing operations, in line with the positive landing site of action. In addition, the dock landing ship amphibious command is a good platform, due to ship large, with plenty of cabin space for theater command structure set up in the mobile command post set up near the enemy coast, the landing operation command complex.
Conclusion
Amphibious landing ships carrying capacity is no doubt strong, but if we regard it as a “porter” a serious mistake. The completion of the new dock landing ship marks the People’s Navy landing operations will be significant changes in style. Meanwhile, the domestic dock landing ships is a starting point, in the hope that China’s future naval amphibious force would be more powerful and comprehensive.
