PLAN Zubr Large Air Cushion Landing Craft

I will grant that the photo is fairly recent due to the presence of the Pakistani unit, but that is of the fifth Zubr I have serious doubt. There is evidence of the third unit being launched, but that was a long time ago and no evidence of a fourth unit, which due to the frequency of photos from that shipyard we ought to have seen way before now.

jacksprat said:

I will grant that the photo is fairly recent due to the presence of the Pakistani unit, but that is of the fifth Zubr I have serious doubt. There is evidence of the third unit being launched, but that was a long time ago and no evidence of a fourth unit, which due to the frequency of photos from that shipyard we ought to have seen way before now.

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No 5 sure and you can trust, i know difficulty with China ...

Fifth Zubr-class large air-cushion landing craft spotted in China
The fifth Zubr-class large air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) under construction was spotted at the Huangpu Shipyard in southern China.


Huangpu is to Guangzhou build 054A, replenishment ships

jacksprat said:

I will grant that the photo is fairly recent due to the presence of the Pakistani unit, but that is of the fifth Zubr I have serious doubt. There is evidence of the third unit being launched, but that was a long time ago and no evidence of a fourth unit, which due to the frequency of photos from that shipyard we ought to have seen way before now.

Click to expand...

Third and fourth were independently spotted at different shipyards. You can express scepticism for the fifth since there's a slim chance it's the third Zubr mistaken for the fifth given they're built at the same shipyard but you cannot doubt third and fourth. They exist simultaneously in different parts of the country; there is no doubt they're both real.

The are built at huangpu and the get sent to an affiliated shipyrad, where they they also build the new type 091 aor/aoe, coast guard and so on. So yes they can be seen in two place but we have not seen the second huangpu unit launched yet. The first Chinese built zubr, third overall, was launched sometime around April 2014 (post 186). In the following three plus years the fourth unit was never seen to be launched or otherwise observed. I strongly suspect that is what is in the construction hall. Only two pennants known to exist, 3325 and 3326. I will gladly concede the point if your can show me pics of 3327 and 3328.

First hovercraft Project 12322 Zubr manufactured in China would have been admitted to active duty. It is the 3rd in the class for the Chinese Navy.
So total 4 built in the Chinese Navy with 3 commissioned more on the way

Hendrik_2000 said:

First hovercraft Project 12322 Zubr manufactured in China would have been admitted to active duty. It is the 3rd in the class for the Chinese Navy.
So total 4 built in the Chinese Navy with 3 commissioned more on the way

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Any idea or information on what the total build will be? 6? 8? I would not be surprised to see eight or even more.

look like the 4th one ready for commissioning or is this the original Ukrainian built? From Henri K blog
3328, here is an interesting hull number, because 3327 of the same class had just been admitted to active service by the Chinese Southern Fleet at the beginning of October ...

Could it be that this is just 3326?

Lots of chatter about the fifth...and the picture, while not proof in and of itself, is stll a different picture than I have seen before and lends more credence to it.

I have always thought that the PLAN intended on more than four, so a fifth would not surprise me in the least, and given what I am hearing and the report above in the article, I believe they are building a fifth...and will follow it with a sixth too.

Will they build six? Will they stop there if they do?

Hard to say, but I would not doubt it. They are very functional vessels for the PLAN, partuclarly in the SCS IMHO.

Like I said, it's indeed 3326.