DEFENSE / China's landing bridge ships target Taiwan but effectiveness in doubt: Expert

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) The Chinese military has built a number of landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, according to a Taiwanese defense expert.

Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said in an analysis published on Sept. 1 that the deployment of such vessels as part of the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan.

However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended purpose, he said. 

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The Chinese landing bridge ship model is typically equipped with a 120-meter-long bridge-like structure at the bow, allowing heavy vehicles such as tanks to move directly from a barge onto shore, Shen said. The stern has a loading ramp that can connect to roll-on/roll-off ferries, creating a continuous landing chain to compensate for the PLA's shortage of large amphibious ships and to enable faster deployment of armored units, he said.

During the landing phase, when the vessels connect to ferries or large amphibious ships, they would become even larger targets, Shen said. Strikes against their connecting structures would also disrupt landing operations, he added.

Even if the PLA secured a beachhead, Taiwan's long-range weapons, such as the Thunderbolt-2000 and HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, as well as ambushes by special operatives near the landing sites, could cripple the vessels, Shen said.

China reportedly has built five landing bridge ships, but their high susceptibility to detection and attack means that they do not have significant operational value, he said.