Type 072 landing ship

Class overview
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Succeeded by	Type 072II landing ship
Built	c. 1980 - 1995[1][2]
In service	1979- ?
Completed	7[1][2]
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Tank landing ship
Displacement	4,237 tonnes (4,170 long tons; 4,670 short tons) (full)[1]
Length	120 metres (390 ft)[1]
Beam	15.3 metres (50 ft)[1]
Draught	2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in)[1]
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1]
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[1]
Boats & landing craft carried	2 LCVP[1]
Troops	200 troops[1] 10 tanks[1]
Crew	109[1]
Sensors & processing systems	2 x Type 753 navigation radar[1]
Armament	1 x twin 57 mm gun[1] 2, 3, or 4 x twin 23 mm guns[1] 2 or 4 x twin 25 mm guns[1]

The Type 072 (NATO reporting name: Yukan) is a class of tank landing ship in the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Seven were built and began entering service by the early-1980s.^[1][2] They replaced American-built LSTs from the Second World War.^[2]

Production may have occurred at the Wuhan Shipyard, with the first completed in 1980,^[1] or at the Zhonghua Shipyard, with ships entering service from 1978 to 1995.^[2]

The bow ramp handles a 50 ton load, and the rear ramp a 20 ton load. It carries two American LCVPs.^[1][2]

A class of supply or ammunition ship (NATO reporting name: Yantai) was developed from the Type 072. Changes include a shorter forecastle, a blunter bow without a door, and the addition of cranes fore and aft of the superstructure.^[3][4]

Three^[3][4] were built by Zhonghua and entered PLAN service in 1992.^[4]

• Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710631435.
• Wertheim, Eric (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (16 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591149545.