Type 056 corvette

PLAN Type 056 Corvette
Class overview
Builders:	Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Wuchang Shipyard Liaonan Shipyard
Operators:	People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force  Bangladesh Navy (ordered)  Royal Thai Navy  Nigerian Navy  Argentine Navy[1]
Preceded by:	Type 037 patrol craft
Building:	7+
Planned:	43 for 1st batch; >20 for 2nd batch
Completed:	25
Active:	19
General characteristics
Type:	Corvette
Displacement:	1,300 tonnes (Standard Load) 1,440 tons (Full Load)
Length:	89m
Beam:	11.6m
Draft:	4.0m
Propulsion:	2 diesel
Speed:	28 kn
Range:	2000km at 18 knots
Complement:	60
Sensors and processing systems:	SR64 air/surface-search radar TR47 gun fire-control radar
Armament:	• 2× 2-cell C-803 anti-ship missiles, amidships • 1× HQ-10 8-round SAM launcher, aft • 1× H/PJ-26 76 mm main gun, forward • 2× H/PJ-17 30mm RWSs, amidships • 2× triple torpedo tubes
Aviation facilities:	Helipad

The Type 056 corvette (NATO codename: Jiangdao) is a new Chinese light warship that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2012 as a replacement for the Type 037 series of patrol vessels. It has been described as a stealth ship missile corvette which is also armed with a 76mm main naval gun.

History

Following the designing and building of the Pattani class corvette for the Royal Thai Navy in the mid-2000s, speculation of a domestic variant of the design was rife. The speculations were confirmed in November 2010 during a visit by Maj. Gen. Wang Junli, Deputy commander of the Hong Kong Garrison and the Hong Kong University's Vice-Chancellor Tsui Lap-chee^[2] when a model of the Type 056 was presented. The first ship was launched in May 2012.^[3][4]

Though the Type 056 appears in the 21st century, the design concept can be referred to as early as the 1980s, when the PLAN were considering developing a larger patrol ship to replace the Type 037 to improve the living conditions on the ship, which was firstly called by Type 038. However, this concept was not realized until the appearance of Type 056 in 2012 due to the shortage of funds.^[5][6]

Design

The Type 056 has a stealthy hull design with sloped surface and a reduced superstructure clutter. There is a helipad at the stern for a light helicopter but has no organic helicopter support facilities.

The main anti-ship armament consists of YJ-83 sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles in two twin-cell launchers. The primary anti-aircraft armament is one FL-3000N short range missile system with 8 rounds. A 76 mm main gun based on a Russian AK-176 is mounted forward. 2 triple torpedo tubes are mounted for ASW operations.

Type 056 is the first Chinese warship with modular design, which makes it cover the roles from OPV to multi-role frigate. The PLAN used versions may include basic type, ASW type, ASuW type, AAW type and commander type; while the export versions can be quite differently fitted according to buyer's requirement. Specifically, the OPV version have higher bridge thus larger RCS than the corvette/multi-role frigate version, but have better vision for patrol role; OPV version also has hangar while corvette not; moreover, corvette version have less complement though with more weapon systems, which indicate the combat system for corvette is more advanced.

Variants

At least four variants of Type 056 have been fielded by PLAN, but their respective designations remain unknown because no such information has been released as of mid-2014.

The first variant of Type 056 is the basic version including the first unit of this type that was launched in mid 2012 by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, and a total of three were built. The visual distinction of this variant is in its chimney where the exhaust pipes are exposed. Another distinct visual identification of this variant is in its inward slanted bulwark at the bow.^[7]

The second variant of Type 056 is the modification of the basic version with infrared suppression added to the chimney and the exhaust pipe covered up to improve stealth. The bulwark at the bow is also modified in that the original bulwark is replaced by a bulwark similar to the bulwark installed at the bow of Type 054A frigate. This second variant begun with the fourth unit of Type 056 that appeared in late 2012, as units built by Huangpu Shipyard of Guangzhou Shipyard International. Reportedly, the first three units of the first variant of Type 056 is later modified to the standard of this second variant.^[7]

The third variant of Type 056 has further modification to superstructure improve stealth, and it first appeared at the end of 2012 when launched, and early 2013 when entered service. The platform where fire control radar is installed is redesigned to eliminate the sharp edges, which are replaced by slant angles. The chimney also has slight slant angle as well.^[7]

The fourth variant of Type 056 is an ASW version and sometimes referred as Type 056A on the internet, but this designation has yet to be confirmed by official sources. This first unit of this fourth variant first appeared in late 2013. The main difference between this variant and earlier three variants is in stern, which is redesigned to house variable depth sonar and towed array sonar added.^[7]Moreover, the YJ-83 in the middle of the ship can be replaced by Yu-8 series rocket propulsion torpedo to cooperate with the towed sonar, and two 4 barrel multil-role rocket launchers are installed outboard of the engines, which can launch decoy and ASROC.

Export

At least two versions of OPV that are direct relations with the Type 056 have been sold to other countries. One is the Royal Thai Navy's Pattani class OPV, the other is an enlarged version with full-load displacement of 1800 tonnes. Two OPVs based on the Pattani class have been ordered by the Nigerian Navy. Their factory designation is P18N.^[8]

Two corvette versions have been sold to the Bangladesh Navy, and more may built locally at Bangladesh's Khulna Shipyard (KSY). A multi-role frigate version of the Type 056 with integrated mast and VLS also appeared at LIMA 2013.

In KADEX 2014, Kazakhstan Naval Commander Zhandarbek Zhanzakov show interest in type 056 and may order 3 for their corvette program,^[9] and it is also a potential bidder for Pakistan navy's corvette program.

Technical specifications

	Type 056	Type 056A[10]	P15T	P18N
Users	People's Liberation Army Navy  Bangladesh Navy（1）	People's Liberation Army Navy	Royal Thai Navy	Nigerian Navy
Displacement(ton)	~1,300 (normal)	~1,300 (normal)	1,460 (full)	1,800
Dimensions(m)	Length：89.0, Beam: 11.6, Draft: 4.0 (?)	Length：89.0, Beam: 11.6, Draft: 4.0	Length：95.5, Beam: 11.6, Draft: 3.0	Length：95.5, Beam: 11.6，Draft: 3.5
Propulsion	2 x S.E.M.T.Pielstick 16PA6STC		2 x Rushton 16RK270	2 x MTU 20V 4000M diesel engine
Maximum Speed (knots)	unknown		25	21
Range	unknown		3,500 nmi at 15 knots	unknown
Endurance	unknown			20 days
Armament	Guns: 1 x 76mm main gun; 2X 30mm gun SSMs: 4 x YJ-83 SAMs: 1 x 8 barrel HQ-10 ASWs: 2 x 3 barrel 324mm Yu-7; 4 x Yu-8(optional replacement of the YJ-83 for type 056A); 2 x 4 barrel multi-role rocket launcher(for type 056A) 2 x 9 barrel decoy for SSMs		Guns: 1 x 76mm main gun; 2 x 20mm gun; 2 x 12.7 mm gun SSMs: left space for SSMs	Guns: 1 x 76mm main gun；2 x 30mm gun; 2 x 20mm gun
Hangar	no		yes
sensor	SR64 air/surface-search radar TR47 gun fire-control radar bow sonar	SR64 air/surface-search radar TR47 gun fire-control radar bow sonar towing sonar (active and passive VDS)	Selex RAN-30 search radar TMX/EO fire-control radar	SR64 air/surface-search radar TR47 gun fire-control radar
Crew	60		84	70

（1）Type 056 of Bangladesh Navy has removed bow sonar and Yu-7 torpedoes compared to the original basic version, and the 30mm guns can be controlled both manually and remotely while the original one can only be controlled manually

Ships

 People's Liberation Army Navy

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder(Shipyard NO.)	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status	Type
1	582	蚌埠 / Bengbu	Hudong(1)	23 May 2012[4]	25 February 2013[11]	East Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
2	596	惠州 / Huizhou	Huangpu(1)	3 June 2012	1 July 2013[12]	Hong Kong Garrison	Active	Basic
3	584	梅州 / Meizhou	Wuchang(1)	31 July 2012	30 July 2013[13]	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
4	580	大同 / Datong	Liaonan(1)	10 August 2012	18 May 2013[14]	North Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
5	583	上饶 / Shangrao	Hudong(2)	19 August 2012	10 June 2013	East Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
6	597	钦州 / Qinzhou	Huangpu(2)	30 August 2012	1 July 2013 [12]	Hong Kong Garrison	Active	Basic
7	585	百色/ Baise	Wuchang(2)	25 October 2012	12 October 2013	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
8	581	营口 / Yingkou	Liaonan(2)	18 November 2012	1 August 2013[15]	North Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
9	587	揭阳 / Jieyang	Huangpu(3)	28 January 2013	26 January 2014[16]	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
10	586	吉安 / Ji'an	Hudong(3)	25 February 2013	8 January 2014	East Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
11	589	清远 / Qingyuan	Huangpu(4)	31 May 2013	11 June 2014[17]	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
12	588	泉州 / Quanzhou	Hudong(4)	26 June 2013	8 August 2014	East Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
13	592	泸州 / Luzhou	Wuchang(3)	16 July 2013	7 June 2014	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
14	590	威海 / Weihai	Liaonan(3)	1 August 2013	15 March 2014	North Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
15	591	抚顺 / Fushun	Liaonan(4)	1 August 2013	12 July 2014	North Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
16	595	潮州 / Chaozhou	Wuchang(4)	14 November 2013	28 November 2014	South Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
17	593	三门峡 / Sanmenxia	Hudong(5)	20 November 2013	13 November 2014	East Sea Fleet	Active	056A (ASW variant)
18	594	株洲 / Zhuzhou	Huangpu(5)	30 November 2013	28 November 2014	South Sea Fleet	Active	056A (ASW variant)
19	502		Hudong(6)	16 May 2014		South Sea Fleet	Fitting Out	056A (ASW variant)
20	504		Huangpu(6)	30 June 2014		South Sea Fleet	Fitting out	056A (ASW variant)
21	501	信阳 / Xinyang	Liaonan(5)	1 May 2014	7 March 2015	North Sea Fleet	Active	Basic
22	503	Suzhou	Wuchang(5)	May 2014			Fitting out	Basic
23			Hudong(7)	11 October 2014			Fitting out	056A (ASW variant)
24			Huangpu (7)	27 December 2014			Fitting out	056A (ASW variant)
25			Hudong(8)	19 March 2015			Fitting out	056A (ASW variant)
26			Huangpu(8)				Under construction
27
28
29
30

 Bangladesh Navy

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Type
1	F111	Shadhinota	Wuchang	30 Nov 2014		launched	C13B
2	F112	Prottoy	Wuchang	30 Dec 2014		launched	C13B
3			Khulna				C13B
4			Khulna				C13B

 Nigerian Navy

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Type
1	F91	Centenary	Wuchang	27 Jan 2014	6 Feb 2015	Active	P18N
2	F92	Unity	Wuchang	11 Sep 2014	2015	Active	P18N

 Royal Thai Navy

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Type
1	511	Pattani	Hudong		14 Dec 2005	Active	P15T
2	512	Narathiwat	Hudong		Feb 2006	Active	P15T

 Argentine Navy^[18]

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Type
1		Malvinas?					P18A?
2							P18A?

---

• 

  Type 056 corvette (583) Shangrao, in review

• 

  Type 056 corvette, launcher for YJ-83 Anti-ship missiles

• 

  FL-3000N SAM launcher

• 

  Type 360 radar

References

External links

• Type 056 Jiangdao Class Corvette - Chinese Navy(Navy recognition)
• Photos of the day: 056 Jiangdao class, a closer look
• China looks to the future with new corvette

See also

• Media related to Type 056 corvette at Wikimedia Commons
• Sigma class corvette  Netherlands
• Braunschweig-class corvette  Germany
• Visby class corvette  Sweden
• Milgem class corvette  Turkey
• USS Independence (LCS-2)  United States
• USS Freedom (LCS-1)  United States

Ship classes of the People's Liberation Army Navy (List of active ships) Submarines (list) Nuclear ballistic missile Type 096 Tang class* Type 094 Jin class Type 092 Xia class Nuclear attack Type 095 ??? class* Type 093/G Shang class Type 091 Han class Conventional ballistic missile Type 032 Qing class Modified Project 629 Golf class: Type 6631/031+ Conventional attack Type 039A/AG/B/C Yuan class Type 039/039G Song class ES5C+/D+/E+/F+ and Type 035+/035A+/035G+/035B+/035ET+/035G Ming class Modified Project 633 Romeo class: ES5A+/B+ and Type 6633+/033+/033G+/033G1+ Wuhan class+ Project 636 Kilo II class Project 877EKM Kilo I class Principal surface combatants Aircraft carriers Chinese aircraft carrier programme Liaoning (16) Destroyers Type 055 class* Type 052D class Type 052C Luyang II (Lanzhou) class Type 052B Luyang I (Guangzhou) class Type 052 Luhu class Type 051C Luzhou class Type 051B Luhai class Type 051DT Luda IV class Type 051G1/G2 Luda III class Type 051 Luda II class Type 051 Luda I class Project 956EM Sovremenny II class Project 956 Sovremenny I class Anshan class+ Frigates Type 054B class* Type 054A Jiangkai II class Type 054 Jiangkai I (Ma'anshan) class Type 053H3 Jiangwei II class Type 053H2G Jiangwei I class Type 053H1G Jianghu V class Type 053H1Q Jianghu IV class Type 053H2 Jianghu III class Type 053H1 Jianghu II class Type 053H Jianghu I class Coastal warfare vessels Corvettes Type 056 Jiangdao class Missile boats Type 022 Houbei class Type 037-II Houjian class Type 037-IG Houxin class Type 021 Houdong class Type 021 Huangfeng (Soviet Osa-I) class Type 021 Hola class C 14 China Cat class Type 024 Heku/Hegu/Houku/Hougu class Torpedo boats Type 025 Huchuan class P4 class Gunboats Type 062-I Shanghai III class Type 062 Shanghai II class Type 062 Shanghai I class Type 206 Huludao class Shantou class+ Beihai class+ Huangpu class+ Yulin class+ Submarine chasers Type 037-IS Haiqing class Type 037-I Haijiu class Type 062-I Haizhui class Type 037 Hainan class 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minesweeper+ Type 010 oceangoing minesweeper Type 6605 oceangoing minesweeper+ Type 6610 oceangoing minesweeper+ Type 05 oceangoing minesweeper T-43 class oceangoing minesweeper+ Type 058 minesweeper+ Type 7102 minesweeper+ Type 062 Fushun class coastal minesweeper+ Minesweeping drone Type 529 mine hunting/sweeping boat/drone Type 312 Futi class minesweeper / minesweeping drone * = Under construction or procurement + = Retired