re: PLAN Type 071 LPD & its Landing Craft
One consideration is PLAN's shortage of trained personnel for high-end ships like LPDs. Crewing 3 Type 071 and 2 Type 071++ is probably easier than 7 or 8 of the vinalla 071 LPDs.
The equivalent numbers would be six vanilla Type 071s versus the three existing Type 071s and two of the newer ones.
These LPDs capable of six LCACs are going to be very large LPDs. But their manning requirements in terms of skill set will be virtually the same as the normal Type 071 LPD. Two normal Type 071 LPDs are going to provide for 8 LCAC capability and will probably require more manpower than a single corresponding 6 LCAC LPD for sure...but also provide less capability and less flexibility.
The real question would be what the manning requirements are for three normal Type 071 LPDs versus two of these new 6 LCAC LPDs would be. That's the real apples to apples comparison. In that scenario you get the same lift capacity and you could then look at the trade offs.
Three Type 071s would be more flexible than two of the newer types IMHO, less vulnerable, but may require more manpower. Those tradeoffs would have to go through the PLAN's cost/benefit analysis. I would expect that the difference in manpower would not be too excessive at all, and that the skill sets are going to be the same. For me, thaving hree of the normal Type 071 LPDs would be where my gut would go versus two of these rumored vessels.
But I do not think there will be such an analysis because I personally do not believe it is anything more than a rumor. Time will tell.
