The Royal Thai Navy has ordered a Type 071E landing platform dock (LPD) ship in what became China’s first export contract for a ship of this class.
A signing ceremony for an export version of the Chinese PLA Navy Type 071 was held in China on September 9.
The ship will be built by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) but details about the ship’s construction and delivery schedule were not provided.
China has commissioned six ships in the class so far while another two were launched in 2018 and 2019.
They measure 210 meters in length and displace around 20,000 tonnes. Capable of operating helicopters, the ships are expected to perform patrol missions, logistics tasks and disaster relief operations.
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