The China Thread

[Sheilbh]

China practicing with their landing barges:
https://www.rfa.org/english/southchinasea/2025/03/14/china-taiwan-invasion-landing-exercise-south-china-sea/

My favourite explanation from a (Western) pro-China think-tank is that they are more likely to be used to deliver humanitarian supplies to disaster-struck regions with poor port infrastructure...

[grumbler]

China practicing with their landing barges:
https://www.rfa.org/english/southchinasea/2025/03/14/china-taiwan-invasion-landing-exercise-south-china-sea/

My favourite explanation from a (Western) pro-China think-tank is that they are more likely to be used to deliver humanitarian supplies to disaster-struck regions with poor port infrastructure...

That seems like a very impractical way of landing troops or vehicles in a combat situation.  One cruise missile or drone strike would take out the whole system. An amphibious landing needs to use amphibious assets.

[Josquius]

China practicing with their landing barges:
https://www.rfa.org/english/southchinasea/2025/03/14/china-taiwan-invasion-landing-exercise-south-china-sea/

My favourite explanation from a (Western) pro-China think-tank is that they are more likely to be used to deliver humanitarian supplies to disaster-struck regions with poor port infrastructure...

That seems like a very impractical way of landing troops or vehicles in a combat situation.  One cruise missile or drone strike would take out the whole system. An amphibious landing needs to use amphibious assets.

Surely they're the modern version of mulberrys for use once the bridgehead is secure rather than for the initial landings.
Though yes, technology is rather different to WW2, especially in light of Ukraine and the advances in drone tech the prospect of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan even if they should make landfall look iffy.