PLA Navy Type 075 Hainan Executes High-Intensity Combat Drills in South China Sea, Signalling China’s Shift to Expeditionary Warfare

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan (Hull 31) has conducted high-intensity, combat-oriented exercise in the South China Sea, a forceful operational signal that China is rapidly shifting from coastal defence toward expeditionary, multi-domain maritime warfare as great-power competition and military confrontation intensify across the Indo-Pacific.

This exercise, conducted under the Southern Theater Command at a time of heightened regional friction, explicitly tested sea-air coordination and integrated air-and-missile defence in far-sea environments, underscoring Beijing’s intent to validate amphibious task force survivability and joint operational coherence under conditions increasingly shaped by advanced missile threats and contested airspace.

Chinese military reporting described the drills as “high-intensity and combat-oriented,” a phrasing that reflects doctrinal emphasis on real-world contingencies rather than scripted demonstrations, while implicitly signalling readiness to conduct sustained amphibious operations across extended maritime distances beyond the Chinese mainland’s immediate defensive perimeter.

 

Commissioned in April 2021, Hainan has rapidly evolved from a symbol of naval modernisation into a frontline operational asset, now routinely integrated into complex exercises that fuse aviation operations, surface manoeuvre, electronic warfare, and layered defensive systems, illustrating the PLAN’s sharpening focus on system-of-systems warfare.

The exercise reinforces the assessment that the Type 075 platform is no longer merely a force-projection enabler but a command-and-control node capable of orchestrating helicopter-borne assaults, anti-submarine screens, and missile-defence umbrellas within a single amphibious strike group operating in high-threat maritime zones.

For Southeast Asia, particularly claimant states such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, the appearance of Hainan in realistic South China Sea combat drills signals an evolving military reality in which China’s ability to rapidly deploy marines, rotary-wing aviation, and supporting fires is becoming increasingly credible and operationally rehearsed.

From a geopolitical perspective, the exercise also serves a strategic messaging function, reinforcing China’s de facto presence and operational confidence in disputed waters while subtly challenging external intervention by demonstrating preparedness to counter advanced aerial and missile threats associated with U.S. and allied naval forces.

As Defence Security Asia assesses these developments, it is increasingly evident that Hainan’s activities are part of a broader, long-term effort to normalise Chinese amphibious dominance in the South China Sea, thereby reshaping regional deterrence calculations and altering the strategic balance across the wider Indo-Pacific maritime domain.

The Type 075 Yushen-Class: Architecting China’s Modern Amphibious Warfare Doctrine

The Type 075 Yushen-class amphibious assault ship represents a qualitative transformation in the PLA Navy’s amphibious warfare architecture, bridging longstanding capability gaps between traditional landing platform docks and full-spectrum expeditionary assault vessels designed for sustained, multi-domain combat operations.

Displacing approximately 40,000 tonnes at full load and measuring roughly 250 metres in length, the Type 075 places China among a small group of navies capable of operating large-deck amphibious assault ships comparable in scale to the U.S. Navy’s Wasp-class and France’s Mistral-class, albeit tailored to Chinese doctrinal priorities and regional operational requirements.

Designed and constructed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, the class reflects the maturation of China’s military-industrial base under the “Military-Civil Fusion” strategy, accelerating development timelines while embedding indigenous combat systems across aviation, sensors, and self-defence layers.

The ship’s expansive flight deck and aviation facilities enable the operation of up to 30 helicopters, including Z-8, Z-9, and Z-20 variants, supporting vertical envelopment, anti-submarine warfare, battlefield mobility, and logistics sustainment across dispersed maritime theatres.

Below deck, the well dock accommodates air-cushioned landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles capable of delivering up to 900 marines with armoured vehicles and supplies, significantly enhancing China’s over-the-horizon assault capacity compared to earlier platforms such as the Type 071 landing platform dock.

Defensive survivability is ensured through layered systems including HHQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missiles, H/PJ-11 close-in weapon systems, and advanced radar suites optimised for detecting low-altitude and high-speed aerial threats, reflecting lessons drawn from modern missile-centric naval warfare environments.

Crucially, the Type 075’s sensor and command-and-control architecture allows it to function as a coordination hub within amphibious task groups, integrating data from escorts, aviation assets, and unmanned systems to support real-time decision-making in contested maritime battlespaces.

The commissioning of Hainan in April 2021, followed by sister ships Guangxi, Anhui, and Hubei, signals an industrially sustainable production line, with credible indications that China intends to field up to eight Type 075 vessels, potentially forming multiple amphibious ready groups capable of simultaneous regional operations.

In financial terms, while China has not disclosed unit costs, comparative analysis suggests each Type 075 likely represents an investment exceeding US$1.5 billion (approximately RM7.05 billion), reflecting both platform complexity and the strategic premium Beijing places on amphibious power projection.

Taken together, the Type 075 class is not merely an incremental upgrade but a doctrinal enabler, providing the PLA Navy with the structural foundation required to execute large-scale amphibious, expeditionary, and joint operations in environments increasingly defined by missile saturation, air superiority contestation, and geopolitical escalation.

Hainan (Hull 31): From Commissioning to a Combat-Ready Flagship 

Named after China’s southernmost province, the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan (Hull 31) was deliberately assigned to the PLA Navy’s Southern Theater Command, reflecting Beijing’s prioritisation of the South China Sea as the primary operational laboratory for its evolving expeditionary and amphibious warfare doctrine.

Commissioned on April 23, 2021, during the PLA Navy’s 72nd anniversary celebrations in Sanya, Hainan entered service not as a ceremonial showpiece but as a frontline platform rapidly integrated into increasingly complex joint and far-sea exercises designed to compress learning curves and accelerate combat readiness.

Homeported in Sanya, a strategically located naval hub that provides immediate access to key sea lines of communication, disputed island groups, and chokepoints across the South China Sea, Hainan operates at the geographic and operational centre of China’s most sensitive maritime theatre.

Since entering active service, Hainan has been consistently deployed in multi-ship task groups alongside Type 052D guided-missile destroyers and Type 903A replenishment ships, reflecting the PLA Navy’s emphasis on endurance, sustainment, and continuous presence beyond coastal waters.

In late 2023, Hainan undertook a far-sea training deployment into the Western Pacific, escorted by the Type 052D destroyer Hohhot and the Type 903A replenishment ship Chaganhu, an evolution that tested command-and-control resilience, aviation sortie generation, and at-sea logistics under extended operational conditions.

By December 2025, Hainan assumed a far more politically sensitive role when it participated in large-scale PLA exercises encircling Taiwan, marking the first known deployment of a Type 075 platform in such drills and signalling the maturation of China’s large-deck amphibious assault capability within Taiwan contingency planning.

During those manoeuvres, Hainan transited the Bashi Channel and operated east of Taiwan, rehearsing long-range rapid assault scenarios and counter-intervention operations while coordinating with H-6 bomber formations simulating anti-ship strike missions, thereby integrating amphibious forces into broader joint-fire architectures.

Photographic evidence from subsequent exercises has consistently shown Hainan conducting intensive aviation operations involving Z-20J and Z-8C helicopters, underscoring the platform’s growing role as an aviation-centric assault ship rather than a traditional troop transport vessel.

In February 2025, Hainan participated in large-scale replenishment-at-sea drills with the Type 071 landing platform dock Jinggangshan and supply ship Chaganhu, validating the PLA Navy’s ability to sustain amphibious task groups during prolonged operations in contested maritime zones.

The ship’s hull number, 31, has increasingly taken on symbolic significance within PLA discourse, with Chinese military commentators highlighting Hainan’s potential evolution into a quasi-light carrier capable of operating unmanned aerial vehicles and future rotary-wing strike platforms as doctrinal concepts continue to evolve.

Collectively, these deployments illustrate Hainan’s transition from an inaugural hull into a fully operational flagship, increasingly central to China’s efforts to normalise persistent, high-end amphibious presence in the South China Sea and adjacent strategic theatres.

The 2026 South China Sea High-Intensity Exercise: Sea-Air Coordination and Air-and-Missile Defence 

The high-intensity, combat-oriented exercise conducted in early February 2026 involving the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan represented a deliberately structured rehearsal for operations in a missile-saturated, electronically contested maritime environment increasingly characteristic of the modern South China Sea security landscape.

Official descriptions by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense characterised the drills as “high-intensity and combat-oriented,” a formulation that underscores doctrinal intent to replicate battlefield stress, compressed decision cycles, and real-time coordination challenges rather than symbolic or scripted naval demonstrations.

At the core of the exercise was sea-air coordination, a critical capability requirement for amphibious assault forces operating beyond protective coastal air cover, particularly in the expansive and surveillance-dense maritime geography of the South China Sea.

Ship-borne rotary-wing aviation assets, including Z-20 helicopters optimised for anti-submarine warfare and troop transport, were launched from Hainan’s full-length flight deck to conduct simulated vertical envelopment missions, synchronised with surface manoeuvres by escorting combatants.

These aviation operations were coordinated with escorting destroyers providing layered air defence and battlespace management, reflecting the PLA Navy’s increasing emphasis on tightly integrated task-group operations rather than platform-centric mission execution.

The exercise also placed substantial emphasis on air-and-missile defence, acknowledging the reality that any future amphibious operation in the South China Sea would unfold under persistent threat from precision-guided munitions, maritime patrol aircraft, and long-range strike platforms operated by regional and extra-regional actors.

Hainan’s HHQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missile systems and H/PJ-11 close-in weapon systems were reportedly exercised against simulated incoming aerial threats, testing engagement timelines, sensor cueing, and fire-control integration under compressed reaction windows.

These defensive drills were supported by the ship’s phased-array radar systems, enabling rapid detection, tracking, and engagement sequencing, an essential capability for surviving saturation attacks in contested littoral and open-ocean environments.

Electronic warfare elements were incorporated into the training scenario, with simulated jamming and electromagnetic interference designed to degrade adversary targeting and communications, highlighting the PLA Navy’s growing recognition of the electromagnetic spectrum as a decisive domain in modern naval combat.

Beyond kinetic engagements, the exercise included multi-subject maritime training such as damage control, formation sailing, and replenishment coordination, reinforcing the requirement for sustained combat effectiveness during prolonged far-sea operations rather than short-duration show-of-force deployments.

Photographs released from the exercise depicting sailors manning combat posts and aviation crews directing flight operations aboard Hainan indicate an operational tempo aimed at stress-testing crew endurance and procedural discipline under near-combat conditions.

In doctrinal terms, the 2026 exercise reflects the PLA Navy’s system-of-systems approach to warfare, wherein platforms such as the Type 075 function not as standalone assets but as networked nodes within a broader, sensor-to-shooter architecture spanning surface, air, subsurface, and information domains.

Collectively, these drills demonstrate a maturing amphibious warfare capability that prioritises survivability, coordination, and operational resilience, signalling China’s intent to normalise high-end naval training in the South China Sea as part of its long-term maritime strategy.

Strategic Implications for Regional Security and the Indo-Pacific Power Balance

The deployment of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan in high-intensity South China Sea drills carries far-reaching implications for regional security, as it materially strengthens China’s ability to impose military facts on the ground—or sea—across one of the world’s most contested maritime theatres.

By rehearsing integrated sea-air coordination and layered air-and-missile defence in disputed waters, the PLA Navy is signalling that future amphibious operations will be conducted under the assumption of active resistance, external intervention, and persistent surveillance by advanced adversaries.

For Southeast Asian claimant states such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, Hainan’s operational profile underscores a growing asymmetry, as China’s amphibious forces increasingly combine aviation-centric assault capabilities with sustained logistical reach and defensive resilience.

The drills also reinforce Beijing’s capacity to rapidly deploy and sustain marine forces across contested island chains, a capability that could decisively shape scenarios involving features such as the Spratly Islands or Scarborough Shoal, where speed of seizure and consolidation would be strategically determinative.

From a Taiwan contingency perspective, Hainan and its sister ships are increasingly viewed as critical enablers of large-scale landing operations, providing the aviation lift, command-and-control, and protective envelope necessary to support cross-strait amphibious assaults under high-threat conditions.

As one regional analysis observed, “The Hainan and its three sister ships are expected to form the backbone of the PLA Navy’s large-scale landing capability,” highlighting how the Type 075 class anchors China’s evolving joint campaign concepts.

The focus on air-and-missile defence during the 2026 exercise also reflects China’s assessment that the most significant external threat to amphibious forces would come from advanced strike systems, particularly submarine-launched and air-launched weapons operated by the United States and its allies.

A U.S. Army analytical report has noted that “The biggest threat to China from the US Navy is nuclear submarines,” explaining why the integration of Type 075 platforms into carrier-centred task groups represents a rehearsal for counter-intervention scenarios rather than purely offensive operations.

Beyond military considerations, these drills function as strategic signalling, reinforcing China’s claim to operational primacy within the “nine-dash line” while testing the political resolve and response thresholds of regional states and extra-regional powers.

In aggregate, Hainan’s activities reflect a deliberate recalibration of the Indo-Pacific balance of power, in which amphibious dominance, rather than carrier aviation alone, becomes a central pillar of China’s maritime coercion and deterrence strategy.

Type 075 Hainan as a Catalyst for Shifting Maritime Power Dynamics and Future Conflict Scenarios

The operational maturation of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan positions it not merely as a tactical asset but as a strategic catalyst capable of reshaping maritime power dynamics across the South China Sea and wider Indo-Pacific theatre.

By combining aviation-centric assault capability, layered air-and-missile defence, and sustained far-sea endurance, Hainan embodies the PLA Navy’s shift toward expeditionary warfare designed to operate under persistent threat from advanced precision-strike systems.

This evolution complicates the military calculus of regional and extra-regional actors, as amphibious operations backed by rotary-wing aviation reduce reliance on traditional beachheads while compressing decision timelines for defenders.

In future crisis scenarios, Hainan’s ability to deploy marines rapidly via vertical envelopment could enable China to seize and consolidate disputed features before diplomatic or military countermeasures can be effectively mobilised.

The ship’s role as a command-and-control hub further amplifies its strategic value, allowing it to synchronise surface combatants, aviation assets, unmanned systems, and electronic warfare capabilities within a unified operational framework.

As amphibious task groups built around the Type 075 class continue to integrate with aircraft carriers, long-range bombers, and shore-based missile forces, China is constructing a layered anti-access and power-projection architecture that extends well beyond its immediate littoral waters.

This trajectory raises profound implications for crisis stability, as the increasing credibility of Chinese amphibious options may lower the perceived threshold for limited military action while simultaneously raising escalation risks.

At the same time, the dual-use potential of the Type 075 for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief provides Beijing with a parallel narrative of responsible power projection, even as its combat-focused exercises suggest clear prioritisation of hard military contingencies.

Financially, sustaining and operating such platforms represents a significant long-term investment, with lifecycle costs likely exceeding US$2 billion per ship (approximately RM9.4 billion), underscoring the strategic weight China assigns to amphibious dominance.

Ultimately, Hainan’s South China Sea drills serve as a harbinger of a future maritime environment in which large-deck amphibious assault ships play a central role in coercion, deterrence, and conflict initiation, compelling regional states and global powers alike to reassess their naval postures and strategic assumptions. — DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA