Shichang
by Chris King

1/700 PLAN Shichang (Scratchbuilt)

The Shichang is a multirole support ship serving with the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN). It is essentially a scaled-down version of the Royal Navy's Argus, with a large aft helicopter deck containing two landing spots. Her roles are officially stated to include cadet training ship, helicopter training ship, hospital ship, disaster relief ship, and container/logistics ship. Various mission-specific modules can be carried on the flight deck, including troop/cadet berthing modules, and helicopter support modules. She is widely regarded as the PLAN's first step towards an aircraft carrier/helicopter carrier capability. Displacement is 9,500 tons full load. The helicopters on deck are Ka-31AEW versions from Trumpeter.

• Displacement: 9,500 tons full load
• Dimensions: 125 x 19 x 10.6 meters
• Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 17.5 knots Crew: 200 including cadets
• Cargo: up to 300 TEU as logistics ship
• Aviation: large aft helicopter deck; two landing spots