https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/march/11474-chinese-type-075-lhd-hainan-reach-ioc-and-could-play-a-role-incase-of-taiwan-taking.htmlAfter a year of training, the Hainan will have full operating capability in the not-too-distant future, Captain Lü Yongjun, the captain of the ship, revealed in a program broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV) on Saturday.
The Hainan entered service with the PLA Navy on April 23, 2021 as China's first amphibious assault ship. Often dubbed a helicopter carrier, the vessel can carry a large number of helicopters in addition to amphibious armored vehicles and tanks, and launch both horizontal and vertical landing missions on islands and reefs, and even land from the sea, analysts said.
By reaching initial operating capability, a warship is ready for deployment for basic missions, and can start to participate in more complicated, realistic combat-oriented exercises to enhance its combat readiness, so the vessel can become fully operational, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Wednesday, requesting anonymity.
To the Hainan, it means that not only have the sailors familiarized themselves with the ship, its systems and its weapons, but also that the ship has integrated with the helicopters, the landing craft and the amphibious vehicles that it carries, the expert said.