Type 054A frigate

Huanggang (577) in 2020
Class overview
Builders
Operators People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded byType 054 frigate
Succeeded byType 054B frigate
SubclassesTughril class (Pakistan)
CostUS$348 million (est. 2015)
Built2005–present
In commission2008–present[1]
Planned50[2]
Active35
General characteristics
TypeFrigate
Displacement3,963 tonnes (full)[3]
Length134 m (440 ft)[3]
Beam16 m (52 ft)[3]
Draught5 m (16 ft)
PropulsionCODAD, 4 × SEMT Peilstick 16 PA 6V 280 STC diesels, 20.7 MW (28,200 hp) total, 2 shafts[3]
Speed27 knots[3]
Range3,800 nautical miles (4,400 mi; 7,000 km) estimated at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)[3]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 382 Radar
  • Type 344 Radar (Mineral-ME Band Stand) target acquisition and SSM fire control radar
  • 4 × MR-90 Front Dome SAM fire control radars
  • MR-36A surface search radar, I-band
  • Type 347G 76 mm gun fire control radar
  • 2 × Racal RM-1290 navigation radars, I-band
  • MGK-335 medium frequency active/passive sonar system
  • H/SJG-206 towed array sonar
  • ZKJ-4B/6 (developed from Thomson-CSF TAVITAC) combat data system
  • HN-900 Data link (Chinese equivalent of Link 11A/B, to be upgraded)
  • SNTI-240 SATCOM
  • AKD5000S Ku band SATCOM
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
  • 1 × 32-cell H/AKJ-16 VLS[4]
  • 2 × 4 YJ-83 anti-ship missiles
  • 1 × PJ26 76 mm dual purpose gun
  • 2 × Type 730 7-barrel 30 mm CIWS guns or Type 1130
  • 2 × 3 324mm Yu-7 ASW torpedo launchers
  • 2 × 6 Type 87 240mm anti-submarine rocket launcher (36 rockets carried)
  • 2 × Type 726-4 18-tube decoy rocket launchers
Aircraft carried1 Kamov Ka-28 'Helix' or Harbin Z-9C
Aviation facilitieshangar

The Type 054A (NATO/OSD Jiangkai II) is a class of guided-missile frigate from the People's Republic of China. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate;[5] compared to its predecessor, the Type 054A has medium-range air defense capability in the form of Type 382 radar and vertically launched (VLS) HHQ-16 surface-to-air missiles.[6]

The first ship (Xuzhou) of the new Type 054A was laid down in 2005 and entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in January 2008;[3] the class was a key component of the PLAN's surface fleet by the late 2010s.[7][8][9] Production was ongoing in 2023, with the next batch of 10 ships commissioned in 2022 and 2023, and a final batch of 10 ships under development.[10][11]

Design[edit]

The Type 054 was heavily influenced by the La Fayette-class frigate from France, and so reflected the strategic and operational requirements of that country. The development of the Type 054A may have been driven by China's need to address high-intensity armed conflict.[12]

The Type 054A uses the same stealthy hull form as the Type 054.[5] The forward launcher for HQ-7 short-range SAM[13] is replaced with a 32-cell vertical launching system[3] for medium-range HHQ-16 SAMs and Yu-8 antisubmarine rockets.[5] The smaller main gun and Type 730 close-in weapon system (CIWS) are also installed.[3]

The radar suite makes use of technology reverse engineered from Russian systems; the affected Chinese systems may include the H/LJQ-382 air search radar (from the Fregat MAE-3) and the H/LJQ-366 fire control radar (from the Mineral ME).[14][15][5] The HHQ-16 target illuminators may also be derived from the Russian MR-90.[16][15][5]

Ships starting with the 17th unit (Huanggang) were constructed with enhanced anti-submarine warfare capability - adding variable depth and towed array sonar - and the Type 1130 CIWS instead of the Type 730.[5][17] These ships have been unofficially referred to as Type 054A+, Type 054A2, or modified Jiangkai II.[5]

In 2015, Gabe Collins estimated that each ship cost US$348 million.[7]

Operational history[edit]

Type 054As have regularly deployed beyond China's regional waters.[8]

Ships have participated in anti-piracy naval patrols off of Somalia. The first was Huangshan, which deployed as part of China's second rotation in April 2019. From there, the ships have been detached to respond to regional crises. Frigates evacuated Chinese citizens from Libya in 2011 - making Xuzhou the first PLAN ship to enter the Mediterranean Sea - and Yemen in 2015. Another joined an international effort to secure Syria's chemical weapons in 2014.[8]

Frigates also participated in the first Chinese naval exercises with the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean in 2015 and the Baltic Sea in 2017.[8]

Exports[edit]

In January 2013, it was confirmed that China offered three Type 054As to the Royal Thai Navy for US$1 billion.[18] Ultimately, Thailand selected a derivative of the South Korean Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.[19]

Pakistan ordered four Type 054A variants from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in 2017-2018 as the Type 054A/P, or Tughril class. The first entered service on 8 November 2021, and all four were commissioned by mid 2022.[20]

Ships of class[edit]

Pennant number Name Namesake Builder Launched Commissioned Fleet Status
530[21] 徐州 / Xuzhou[21] City of Xuzhou Huangpu Shipyard[11] 30 September 2006[11] 27 January 2008[22] East Sea Fleet[22] Active[22]
529[23] 舟山 / Zhoushan[23] City of Zhoushan Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 21 December 2006[11] 3 January 2008[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
570[21] 黄山 / Huangshan[21] City of Huangshan Huangpu Shipyard[11] 18 March 2007[11] 15 May 2008[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[24]
568[21] 衡阳 / Hengyang[21] City of Hengyang Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 23 May 2007[11] 30 June 2008[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
571[21][25] 运城 / Yuncheng[21][25] City of Yuncheng Huangpu Shipyard[11] 8 February 2009[11] December 2009[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[11][25]
569[21] 玉林 / Yulin[21] City of Yulin, Guangxi Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 28 April 2009[11] 1 February 2010[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[26]
548[21] 益阳 / Yiyang[21] City of Yiyang Huangpu Shipyard[11] 17 November 2009[11] 26 October 2010[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
549[21][27] 常州 / Changzhou[21][27] City of Changzhou Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 18 May 2010[11] 30 May 2011[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11][27]
538[21][28] 烟台 / Yantai[21][28] City of Yantai Huangpu Shipyard[11] August 2010[11] June 2011[11] North Sea Fleet[28] Active[28]
546[21][28] 盐城 / Yancheng[21][28] City of Yancheng Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 27 April 2011[11] 5 June 2012[11] North Sea Fleet[28] Active[29]
572[21] 衡水 / Hengshui[21] City of Hengshui Huangpu Shipyard[11] 2011[11] 9 July 2012[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[11][30]
573[21] 柳州 / Liuzhou[21] City of Liuzhou Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 10 December 2011[11] 26 December 2012[11] South Sea Fleet[31] Active[11]
547[21] 临沂 / Linyi[21] City of Linyi Huangpu Shipyard[11] December 2011[11] 22 December 2012[11] North Sea Fleet[11] Active[32]
575[21] 岳阳 / Yueyang[21] City of Yueyang Huangpu Shipyard[11] 19 May 2012[11] 3 May 2013[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
550[21] 潍坊 / Weifang[21] City of Weifang Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 9 July 2012[11] 22 June 2013[31] North Sea Fleet[31] Active[32]
574[21] 三亚 / Sanya City of Sanya Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 30 November 2012[11] 13 December 2013[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
577[33] 黄冈 / Huanggang[33] City of Huanggang Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 28 April 2013[11] 16 January 2015[33] East Sea Fleet[33] Active[33]
576[21][34] 大庆 / Daqing[34] City of Daqing Huangpu Shipyard[34] 8 October 2013[11] 16 January 2015[11] North Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
578[35] 扬州 / Yangzhou[35] City of Yangzhou Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 30 September 2013[11] 21 September 2015[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
579[35] 邯郸 / Handan[35] City of Handan Huangpu Shipyard[11] 26 July 2014[11] 16 August 2015[11] North Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
532[36] 荆州 / Jingzhou[36] City of Jingzhou Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 22 January 2015[11] 5 January 2016[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
531[37] 湘潭 / Xiangtan[37] City of Xiangtan Huangpu Shipyard[11] 19 March 2015[11] 24 February 2016[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
515[38] 滨州 / Binzhou[38] City of Binzhou Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 13 December 2015[11] 29 December 2016[38] East Sea Fleet[38] Active[38]
536[39] 许昌 / Xuchang[39] City of Xuchang Huangpu Shipyard[11] 30 May 2016[11] 23 June 2017[39] South Sea Fleet[39] Active[39]
539[40] 芜湖 / Wuhu[40] City of Wuhu Hudong-Zhonghua[40] 8 June 2016[40] 29 June 2017[40] North Sea Fleet[40] Active[40]
598[1] 日照 / Rizhao[1] City of Rizhao Huangpu Shipyard[1] 1 April 2017[1] 12 January 2018[1] North Sea Fleet[1] Active[1]
599 安阳 / Anyang City of Anyang Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 28 March 2017 12 April 2018[41] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
500[42] 咸宁 / Xianning[42] City of Xianning Huangpu Shipyard[11] 22 September 2017[11] 28 August 2018[11] South Sea Fleet[11] Active[3]
601[43] 南通 / Nantong[43] City of Nantong Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 16 December 2017 23 January 2019[11] East Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
542[44] 枣庄 / Zaozhuang[44] City of Zaozhuang Huangpu Shipyard[11] 30 June 2018[11] 22 February 2019[11] North Sea Fleet[11] Active[11]
522[11] 资阳 / Ziyang[11] City of Ziyang Huangpu Shipyard[11] 12 July 2021[11] May 2022[11] Active[11]
534[11] 鹤壁 / Hebi[11] City of Hebi Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 1 August 2021[11] December 2022[11] Active[11]
540[11] 西昌市 / Xichang[11] City of Xichang Huangpu Shipyard[11] November 2021[11] 2023[11] Active[11]
537[11] 宜兴 / Yixing[11] City of Yixing Hudong-Zhonghua[11] 23 December 2021[11] January 2023[11] Active[11]
551[11] 巴彦淖尔市 / Bayannao'er[11] City of Bayannao'er Huangpu Shipyard[11] 23 December 2021[11] December 2022[11] Active[11]

Gallery[edit]

  • Aft-deck of frigate Yiyang (548). In this image, US Navy sailors are boarding to meet prior to conducting a bilateral counter-piracy exercise. Visible on the flight deck is a Harbin Z-9 helicopter
    Aft-deck of frigate Yiyang (548). In this image, US Navy sailors are boarding to meet prior to conducting a bilateral counter-piracy exercise. Visible on the flight deck is a Harbin Z-9 helicopter
  • H/PJ-26 76mm main gun onboard Hengshui (572)
    H/PJ-26 76mm main gun onboard Hengshui (572)
  • The YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers on the Wuhu (539)
    The YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers on the Wuhu (539)
  • The Type 87 Anti Submarine Rocket (ASROC) Launchers of the Wuhu (539)
    The Type 87 Anti Submarine Rocket (ASROC) Launchers of the Wuhu (539)
  • Type 726-4 decoy launchers of Handan (579)
    Type 726-4 decoy launchers of Handan (579)
  • Weapon control station of Chinese Navy Ship Hengshui (572)
    Weapon control station of Chinese Navy Ship Hengshui (572)
  • HQ-16 VLS SAM launchers on Xuzhou (530)
    HQ-16 VLS SAM launchers on Xuzhou (530)
  • The meeting room facility onboard Yulin (569)
    The meeting room facility onboard Yulin (569)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations
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  2. ^ "Hints of Chinese Naval Ambitions in the 2020s". The Diplomat. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jane's Fighting Ships (2015): page 144
  4. ^ Joe, Rick (25 December 2020). "Hints of Chinese Naval Procurement Plans in the 2020s". The Diplomat.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Wertheim, Eric (June 2020). "China's Multipurpose FFG". Proceedings. 146 (6). U.S. Naval Institute. 0041798X.
  6. ^ Schwartz (2015): page 28
  7. ^ a b Collins, Gabe (18 June 2015). "How Much Do China's Warships Actually Cost?". Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Willett (2019): page 24
  9. ^ Willett (2019): page 26
  10. ^ Tate, Andrew (10 August 2021). "China launches 32nd Type 054A frigate for PLAN". Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em Jane's Fighting Ships, 2023-24 Edition, ISBN 978-0-7106-3428 3, page 146.
  12. ^ Collins et al. (2014): page 2
  13. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships (2015): page 142
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Bibliography

External links[edit]

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