Type 053H3 frigate

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PLAN 053H3 (Jiangwei II) frigate 565 Yulin
Class overview
Operators: Naval flag of People's Republic of China People's Liberation Army Navy
Succeeded by: Type 054 frigate
General characteristics
Displacement: 2,250 tons standard, 2,393 tons full load
Length: 112 m
Beam: 12.4 m
Draught: 4.3 m
Propulsion: CODAD, 2 shaft, 2 x 18E390VA diesel @ 14,000 hp (17.6 kW) & 2x MTU diesel @ 8,840 hp (6.5 kW)
Speed: 16 knots cruising, 26 to 27 knots max
Range: 5,000 miles at 15 to 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement: 168 (with 30 officers)
Armament: 8 x YJ-83 SSM in 2 x 4-cell box launchers
1 x 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile system
1 x PJ33A dual 100 mm gun (automatic)
4 x Type 76A dual-37 mm AA guns
2 x 6-tube Type 3200 ASW rocket launchers (36 rockets)
2 x DC racks & launcher
Aircraft carried: Harbin Z-9C
Aviation facilities: Hangar

The Jiangwei-class frigate is a continued development of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s 053-series ships. These ships are the first multi-role frigates in PLAN capable of fleet air defense, anti-shipping, and anti-submarine warfare with helicopter capability.

Contents

[edit] History

In the 1980s, the PLAN needed a replacement air-defense frigate for the Type 053K (Jiangdong-class). Hudong Shipyard (now Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard) was tasked to build an improved version of the Type 053H2 (Jianghu-III) frigate with air defense capability. The new ship, Type 053H2G, received the NATO designation Jiangwei-class.

The 053H2G Jiangwei class frigate is slightly larger than the 053H2 Jianghu class frigate, equipped with the HQ61B SAM system for air defense. A total of four Type 053H2G ships were built between 1988 and 1991. Some sources claim that they've been upgraded with the Crotale (or Chinese copy HQ-7) SAM system, and the modernized version received the designation of Type 055. However this might be a confusion with the original Type 053H2G development project number, which was Project 055. [1]

Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the HQ61 SAM, the PLAN ordered an improved version, the 053H3 (Jiangwei-II) to be equipped with the French-made Thomson-CSF R-330 Sea Crotale SAM. China's 2nd Space Academy (now China Academy of Defense Technology) copied the Crotale for domestic production as the HQ-7 SAM. A total of 10 Type 053H3 ships were built between 1996 and 2005.

The 053H3 is the last of the 053-series ships to enter service with the PLAN, as the PLAN shifts toward newer hulls like the Type 054 frigate (Jiangkai I(II)-class). However this was not the end of the 053H3, as the Pakistani Navy signed a purchase agreement for 4 F-22P Frigates in 2005 valued at $600-750 million dollars. The F-22P is an export variant of the 053H3 Frigate, the first 3 will be built in China, while the last will be built by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) in Pakistan.

[edit] Versions

  • Type 053H2G (Jiangwei I): Armed with 6 x C-802 anti-ship missiles, and a 6-cell HQ-61B SAM system. Some reports indicate that the HQ-61B have been replaced by the HQ-7 SAM through modernization-upgrade program, and it is claimed that the modernized version is sometimes named Type 055.
  • Type 053H3 (Jiangwei II): Improved 053H2G with the rear anti-aircraft artillery mount elevated. Armed with 8 x C-802 anti-ship missiles, and HQ-7 SAM. The most obvious visual distinction between Jiangwei I & II is that the after AAA mounts are elevated in Jiangwei II. Jiangwei II class was briefly equipped with HQ-61B SAM system before being replaced by HQ-7 during upgrade, and some sources claim that the upgraded version is also called Type 057.

[edit] General characteristics

[edit] 053H3 (Jiangwei II)

  • Displacement - 2,250 tons standard, 2,393 tons full load
  • Length - 112 m
  • Beam - 12.4 m
  • Draught - 4.3 m
  • Propulsions - 2 shaft, 2 x 18E390VA diesel @ 14,000 hp (17.6 kW) & 2x MTU diesel @ 8,840 hp (6.5 kW)
  • Speed - 16 knots (30 km/h) cruising, 26 to 27 knots (50 km/h) max
  • Range - 5,000 miles (8,000 km) at 15 to 16 knots (30 km/h)
  • Complement - 168 (with 30 officers)
  • Radar
  • EW/ECM
    • Data link: HN-900 (Chinese equivalent of Link 11A/B, to be upgraded)
    • Communication: SNTI-240 SATCOM
    • Combat Data System: ZKJ-3C
    • RWD-8 (Jug Pair) intercept
    • Type 981-3 EW Jammer
    • SR-210 Radar warning receiver
    • Type 651A IFF
    • 2 x Type 946/PJ-46 15-barrel decoy rocket launchers
  • Aviation
    • Helicopter deck for single Z-9C helicopter
  • Armament
    • 8 x YJ-83 SSM in 2 x 4-cel box launchers
    • 1 x 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile system
    • 1 x PJ33A dual 100 mm gun (automatic)
    • 4 x Type 76A dual-37 mm AA guns
    • 2 x 6-tube Type 3200 ASW rocket launchers (36 rockets)
    • 2 x DC racks & launcher

[edit] Ships

Type 53H3 frigate Sanming at Shanghai Naval Base
Type 53H3 frigate Sanming at Shanghai Naval Base

[edit] 053H2G (Jiangwei I)

[edit] 053H3 (Jiangwei II)

[edit] External links

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