Chinese Military Experiments With Using Commercial Vessels as Helicopter Bases
The use of civilian ships to support combat could expand the military’s reach but blur targeting rules in wartime.
By Steven Stashwick
August 28, 2020
Earlier this month the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tested the use of a civilian heavy lift ship as a floating landing pad for Army helicopters.
PLA attack and transport helicopters landed on a semi-submersible heavy lift vessel, the Zhen Hua 28, whose deck was marked off into three landing areas. Ships like the Zhen Hua 28 flood ballast tanks to partially sink so that large marine cargoes like smaller vessels or oil rigs can be floated on and off their low, flat cargo deck.
A variety of laws give the PLA the authority to utilize civilian vessels for national defense purposes. The 2016 National Defense Transportation Law both clarified that authority and set standards for Chinese non-state-owned companies to ensure ships and other transportation infrastructure meet requirements for potential military use in a conflict.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/chinese-military-experiments-with-using-commercial-vessels-as-helicopter-bases/
