this month, naval news reported that production of China's new Type 054B frigates is now underway at Hudong in Shanghai and Huangpu Wenchong in Guangzhou, the same shipyards responsible for producing the Type 054A frigate, of which the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) operates 40 units.
Naval News mentions that the Hudong and Huangpu shipyards also produce a modified Type 054A adapted for the China Coast Guard (CCG), designated Type 818, and continue work on a newer redesigned variant.
Naval News reports that the Type 054B is a new warship that is wider and longer than its Type 054A predecessor, with an estimated length of 147 meters, a beam of 18 meters, a bulkier superstructure and a higher bridge with a 6,000-ton displacement.
The report notes that while the Type 054B's armaments and other subsystems are still unknown, they will most likely include a 32-cell vertical launch system (VLS), a new type of active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), and a possible H/PJ-11 11-barrel 30 mm autocannon on the bridge like the Type 052D destroyer and Type 055 cruiser.
It is also expected to house two Z-20 utility and anti-submarine helicopters, replacing the lighter and less-capable Z-9 used on the Type 054A.
Naval News mentions that the Type 054B frigate under construction at Huangpu has already been painted, and launch appears likely in the next couple of months. The hull at Hudong was floated out in early June to make way for a civilian vessel but was then returned for further work.
Latest stories
china's financial regulatory regime finding its feet
facebook in cambodian politics
washington myopia undercuts indo-pacific partners
The Naval News report notes that both hulls may be launched before yearend, with the sighting of more modules at Hudong suggesting that China is building more frigates.
asia times noted in february 2023 that the Type 054B was first designed in 2016 and is the final form of the Type 054A design. It is intended to be a low-end, anti-submarine ship working alongside the high-end Type 055 cruisers and Type 052 destroyers, which are too expensive to build in greater numbers.
Chinese Type 055 cruiser firing YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missile. Photo: Sina News
The Type 054B is expected to operate within the First and Second Island Chains. It may also be tasked to secure China's sea lines of communication (SLOC) connecting major seaports across its Maritime Silk Road, with its larger size enabling it to carry more fuel and onboard stores to increase its endurance and self-sustainability on the high seas.
It may also operate alongside China's carrier battlegroups, with its improved propulsion systems solving the Type 054A's significant handicap of being too slow to keep up with the Type 052 destroyers and Type 055 cruisers in an escort role.
south china morning post (scmp) noted this month that the Type 054B is actually a“mini Type 055”, meaning it may feature technologies aboard the latter ship such as high-power microwaves or shipborne drones.
SCMP also says China plans to have four carrier strike groups by 2030, with the Type 054B, Type 052D and Type 055 serving as the critical escort vessels for its aircraft carriers.
Accelerating the Type 054B's construction may also enable China to beef up its coast guard vis-à-vis its East and Southeast Asian neighbors in areas of dispute. China has a track record of converting older warships into maritime law enforcement vessels.
Combining a warship's design endurance and resilience with the legal status of a civilian ship allows China to flexibly implement its“gray zone” tactics, including sometimes risky maneuvers that pull up short of lethal force to confound its adversaries' response options.
the us department of defense (dod) 2022 china military power report mentions that, in 2021, China transferred as many as 22 early units of its Type 056 corvettes from the PLA-N to the CCG due to its lack of towed array sonar, limited range and small storage capacity. Also, as more blue water capable ships enter PLA-N service, the need for coastal defense warships such as the Type 056 has decreased.
scmp noted in february 2022 that a Type 056 corvette with hull number 511 had been modified by the Hudong shipyard for CCG service, removing the ship's torpedo tubes and missile launchers but keeping the 30mm autocannons and 76mm main gun in place.
SCMP also says LED panels were added to the ship's sides, allowing it to display warnings and messages. The source also says the Type 056 can better handle collisions with civilian vessels, which frequently occur in maritime disputes, and conduct electronic jamming.
China has also converted its old frigates into maritime law enforcement ships, adding range, endurance and capabilities not found in repurposed Type 056 corvettes.
in a july 2015 article for the diplomat , Franz-Stefan Gady noted that the Hudong shipyard converted two Type 53H2G frigates into CCG cutters, with their YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers, HQ-61 surface-to-air missile launchers, 100mm main gun and 37mm gun mounts all removed while retaining two twin forward 37mm gun mounts.
Further, Gady mentions in a separate june 2015 article for the diplomat that China may have already modified a Type 054A frigate for CCG service, saying that images in Chinese social media show what appears to be a ship of that class already painted with CCG colors, with its VLS and 76mm main gun removed, but most likely maintaining its secondary armaments.
A Chinese Navy Type 054A frigate enters the port of Havana on November 10, 2015. Photo: Asia Times Files / AFP / Yamil Lage
Gady notes that inducting ex-PLA-N ships into CCG service is a quick and easy way to bolster the latter's numerical strength as China's preferred agency for enforcing its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas. He also notes that inducting ex-frigates into CCG service will boost its power projection capabilities in disputed waters.
Indeed, japan times reported in may 2023 that the CCG already has 157 large vessels, quadruple the number it had a decade ago, making it the world's largest maritime law enforcement agency.
The report notes that over the years CCG ships have become larger and increasingly heavily armed. Additional Type 054A frigates may be repurposed for CCG service as Type 054B production increases.
Like this:Like Loading... Related