A new type of Chinese frigate breaks cover
This is an example of the Type 054A frigate, a workhorse in the PLA Navy. It is due to be succeeded by a modern surface combatant. (Photo: Gordon Arthur)
The Type 054A frigate has undergone serious mass production in China, but its more modern successor is now on the horizon.
Rumours about a follow-on guided-missile frigate, a successor to the Type 054A, have been swirling for years. At last, there is firm evidence that the construction of China’s fourth-generation frigate is now underway for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Imagery obtained from the Pleiades satellite on 21 January showed a complete hull at the Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai.
The hull measures some 147m long, which is greater than the 134m of the Type 054A frigate but shorter than the Type 052D destroyer. Its beam is approximately 18m, compared to 16m for its predecessor.
According to Tom Shugart, a
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