China’s version could also be vulnerable to high winds and seas and – in the case of an invasion of Taiwan – an easy target to destroy, according to Timothy R. Heath, a senior international defence researcher at RAND.

“The slow moving barges are easily targeted so they are unlikely to survive in the middle of a battle on the beaches,” he told The Telegraph.

He added: “The PLA has many better suited military-grade amphibious assault ships that could carry out similar tasks of unloading armoured vehicles.”

Mr Heath argued the barges are more likely to be used to deliver humanitarian supplies to disaster-struck regions with poor port infrastructure.

So, either humanitarian or long-term occupation supplies. No one is going to put an invasion force on ships with fucking smokestacks. Could be prototypes rigged to existing boats though.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

One can imagine that chinese leaders can hand wave away whatever number of casualties it has to withstand in order to get at least one or two of these docked and offloading. I think it would be silly to assume that china wouldn't do something just because a bunch of it's own people might die in the doing. It's never stopped them before, why would it now?

[–] rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

tanks are expensive