 Kunlun Shan escorted by two Houbei Type 022 missile boats underway (2010)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 China | |
| Name | Kunlun Shan (998) |
| Namesake | Kunlun Mountains |
| Operator |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Ordered | ? |
| Builder | Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard |
| Laid down | June 2006 |
| Launched | 21 December 2006 |
| Commissioned | 30 November 2007 |
| Homeport | South Sea Fleet, Zhanjiang Naval Base |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type 071 amphibious transport dock |
| Displacement | 25,000 tons[1] |
| Length | 210 meters |
| Beam | 28 meters |
| Draught | 7 m (21 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) max[1] |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1] |
| Boats & landing craft carried |
|
| Capacity | 15-20 armoured vehicles |
| Troops | 500-800 troops |
| Crew | 120 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | UAT Electronic Support Measures |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2-4 Z-8 Super Frelon |
Kunlun Shan is a Type 071 amphibious transport dock ship currently in service to China's People's Liberation Army Navy. The lead ship of its class, the 25,000-ton ship was laid down in the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai in June 2006, and was launched on 21 December 2006. After finishing sea trials the ship was commissioned to the South Sea Fleet at Zhanjiang Naval Base on 30 November 2007. Its estimated production cost is 300 million USD.[citation needed]
The ship is named after of the Kunlun Mountains, one of the most prominent mountain range in Northwest China.
Operational history[edit]
On 9 March 2014, the ship was deployed in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
In September 2016, the ship took part in combined naval exercises with the Russian Navy off the coasts of Guangdong.[2]
In 2019, the ship took part in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. On the return trip in June, it had a four-day stopover in Sydney Harbour, Australia as part of a three-ship taskforce along with the Type 054A frigate Xuchang and the Type 903 replenishment ship Luomahu.[3][4][5] According to then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the naval visit was invited by the Australian Government, but the neither the New South Wales government nor the Australian public were informed ahead of the taskforce's arrival, which triggered a media frenzy among the conservative Australian media and politicians on the backdrop of rising geopolitical tension in Sino-Australian relations.[6][7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "沪东中华: 为中国海军打造 '靓丽名片' (Hudong Zhonghua Builds a 'Beautiful Business Card' for the Chinese Navy)". China State Shipbuilding Corporation (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
- ^ "PLAN's "Joint Sea-2016" Orbat". China Defense Blog. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "The 31st Chinese naval escort taskforce visits Australia". www.navyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
- ^ Hollingsworth, Julia (2019-06-03). "Chinese warships arrive in Sydney Harbor on Australian stopover". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "Chinese warships in Sydney: a show of strength for Beijing?". South China Morning Post. 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Foster, Ally (2019-06-05). "Important detail we missed in the arrival of Chinese warships to Sydney". News.com.au. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ Jennings, Peter (2019-06-08). "The many ways in which China is pushing us around … without resistance". Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Retrieved 2023-12-29.