Type 054A frigate
Encyclopedia
The Type 054A (NATO codename Jiangkai II) frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
is a Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
multi-role warship that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
in 2007. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate, using the same hull but with improved sensors and weapons.
The Type 054A was first revealed while under construction at the Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
-based Huangpu Shipyard in 2005.
Improvements
The Type 054A carries HQ-16 medium-range air defence missiles in a VLSVertical Launching System
A vertical launching system is a system for holding and firing missiles on surface ships and submarines used by many navies around the world. Each VLS system consists of a number of cells, which can hold one or more missiles ready for firing...
system. The HQ-16 provides area air defence from all engagement angles up to a range of 50km, a considerable improvement over the HQ-7
HQ-7
The HongQi 7 or HQ-7 is a short-range air defense missile. The missile is deployed on both ships and land-based vehicles. China revealed the export version, FM-80, in the 1989 Dubai Aerospace Show...
carried on the Type 054 which have inferior range and limited engagement angles.
The 4 AK-630
AK-630
The AK-630 is a Soviet fully automatic naval close-in weapon system based on a six-barreled 30 mm Gatling gun. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar and television detection and tracking. The system's primary purpose is defense against anti-ship missiles and other...
close-in weapon system
Close-in weapon system
A close-in weapon system , often pronounced sea-whiz, is a naval shipboard point-defense weapon for detecting and destroying at short range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses....
s (CIWS) of the Type 054 were replaced with 2 Type 730 CIWS
Type 730 CIWS
The Type 730 is a Chinese seven-barrelled 30 mm Gatling gun CIWS. It has a PLA-N designation H/PJ12. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar, and electro-optical tracking systems...
on the Type 054A. The autonomous Type 730 provides improved reaction time against close-in threats.
The Type 054A retains its predecessor's stealth features, including sloped hull design, radar absorbent materials and a clean profile.
An improved variant, sometimes called the Type 054A+, launched from Huangpu Shipyard in 2009.
Ships of Class
| Pennant No | Name | Launched | Commissioned | Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 530 | 徐州 / Xuzhou | September 30, 2006 | January 27, 2008 | East Sea |
| 529 | 舟山 / Zhoushan | December 21, 2006 | January 3, 2008 | East Sea |
| 570 | 黃山 / Huangshan | March 18, 2007 | May 13, 2008 | South Sea |
| 568 | 巢湖 / Chaohu | May 23, 2007 | June 30, 2008 | South Sea |
| 571 | 運城 / Yuncheng | February 8, 2009 | January 15, 2010 | South Sea |
| 569 | 玉林 / Yulin | April 28, 2009 | February 1, 2010 | South Sea |
| 548 | 益阳 / Yiyang | November 19, 2009 | October 26, 2010 | East Sea |
| 549 | 常州 / Changzhou | May 21, 2010 | May 30, 2011 | East Sea |
| 538 | 烟台 / Yantai | August 24, 2010 | 2011 | North Sea |
| 546 | 盐城 / Yancheng | April 27, 2011 | 2012 | North Sea |
| unknown | unknown | May 21, 2011 | 2012 | unknown |
| unknown | unknown | 2011 | unknown | unknown |
| unknown | unknown | 2012 | unknown | unknown |
| unknown | unknown | 2012 | unknown | unknown |