Jiangkai Type 054 Frigate
China operates a large number of FFG guided missile frigates with marginal ASW capability. Some of these operate one or two ASW helicopters and are armed with HQ-7 SAMs. These include eight Jiangwei II (053H3), two of which may go to Pakistan if it can ever pay for them. There also are two Maanshan (054) class building (which may operate the newer Ka-28 Helix) and more will follow rapidly.
By early 2003 information became available on a new design frigate to succeed the JIANGWEI class. By early Spring 2003 it was possible to view this frigate under construction at Shanghai's Hongdu Zhonghua shipyard. This frigate, Hull number 525, was launched on 11 September 2003. The Jiangkai-class Type 054 is also being built at Guangzhou's Huangpu shipyard, where Hull number 526, was launched on 30 November 2003. While the Hongdu shipyard used conventional ship construction techniques, in which the ship is gradually built-up, the Huangpu yard used modern techniques in which built the ship from pre-fabricated components.
The power, CPP and weapons systems of the first batch of four Type 054 FFGs are all imported from Russia or western countries.
This frigate, dubbed the “Type 054” by several sources, makes extensive use of stealth shaping, along the lines of French LAFAYETTE-class frigates purchased by Taiwan. While Chinese design bureaus could produce such designs, it is possible that either France or Russia provided assistance. One compromise of stealth is the higher bow to improve sea-keeping. While the stealth shape and [presumably] improved combat systems would improve warfighting, the armament of the Type 054 may not represent a great improvement over the JIANGWEI. The new ship is probably armed with the same HQ-7 SAM carried by the JIANGWEI II. The Type 054, like the JIANGWEI, is equipped with a medium-frequency sonar, suited for active-search in the shallow waters off Taiwan.
One clear improvment is the Russian Kamov Ka-28 ASW/Missile guidance helicopter. It is also equipped with CIWS systems similar to the Russian AK-630. In April 2002 the Franco-German company SEMT Pielstick announced that 8 x 16 PA6 STC engines will equip the first two frigates of a new generation to be built in Shanghai. The 16 cylinder PA6 STC will be manufactured under a license agreement by Shaanxi Diesel Engine Works.
The serial numbers of the No. 525 and 526 indicate they will be deployed in the Eastern Sea (Donghai) Fleet. To meet the goal of "balanced development" of the Chinese fleets, futher Type 054 FFGs may also be disposed primarily at the Southern Sea (Naihai) and Donghai Fleets, as it was the case with Type 053H3 Jiangwei II FFG.
