China's ambitions to dominate the East and South China Seas will receive a powerful boost with the commissioning of four new Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC), reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network.
The Zubr, meaning "European bison", is the world's largest military hovercraft. Originally designed in the 1980s by the St Petersburg-based Almaz Shipbuilding, construction of the first Zubr began in 1982 and was completed in three years. Issues identified during initial trials were corrected before a second series of tests in 1986, with the vessels officially commissioned by the Soviet Union in 1988.
Apart from the Russian and Ukranian navies, the Zubr is operated today by the Hellenic Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy. China placed an order for four of the vessels from Ukraine in 2009 for US$350 million. The first two were built under Chinese supervision on the Crimea Peninsula, while the second pair are being built under license in China.
Read the full story at Want China Times