Type 057 Frigate, aka Type 054B

China announced plans for a new multi-role frigate class warship in 2013. The name of this frigate has been variously called 054B and 057 over the years, but in recent times 054B appears to be the designation.

China was reported to have completed the design of a new frigate project Type 057 fourth generation. It was expected that the construction of ships of this type would start at the end of 2014 or the first quarter of 2015. Presumably, a series of frigates of the new project will consist of 20 vessels, and their supply of Chinese Navy will be completed by 2025. However, the authenticity of the construction of 057 missile frigate remained to be further confirmed as of early 2017.

As part of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China frigates Type 057 Project will replace the same number of obsolete ships of the same class of the project Type 053. for the first time the project Type 057 ships will be equipped with a hybrid power plant, which will significantly reduce their noise compared to previous projects frigates. Displacement Type 057 will be about 4.5 thousand tons. The ships will be equipped with new radar installations vertical launch missiles and anti-aircraft missile systems. The frigate design will be used stealth technology. On frigates Type 057 project will be based, two anti-submarine helicopters and reconnaissance drones.

In mid-March 2013 the Chinese Navy adopted a new Type 056 frigate project, built using stealth technology. The fleet ship with hull number 582 was named "Bengbu" in honor of the prefecture in Anhui province in eastern China. It was expected the Chinese military will be built 20 ships of this type.

If the 057 type in the deep sea to deal with high-speed three-dimensional mobile submarines, it may be equipped with large low-frequency active sonar. The future of China's aircraft carrier formation 055,052D HQ-9 is responsible for long-range air defense, 057 frigate ship only equipped with a range of 70Km, the last active control of the HQ-16G, the new short-range air defense missiles, Anti-submarine torpedo, so only 7 meters deep hair. Ship midships installed 2X4YJ-62 anti-ship missiles, 2X4 long-range multi-purpose torpedo. In order to strengthen the ocean anti-submarine ccapability, the ship might use a dual hangar, with Ka-28 or Z-20 helicopters.

In recent years developed a new generation of destroyers are using integrated mast, its benefits are many. In addition to the British air search radar using double-sided antenna, most countries are using single-sided frigid antenna, 30 per minute to meet the tactical requirements. 057 type frigates are no exception, at the top of the bridge is the "Lotus Lantern" shape of the integrated mast, the upper part is installed three-coordinate search radar antenna, the middle is HQ-16G mid-range guidance antenna, 054A ship Various communications and electronic warfare antennas will also be retrofitted with an integrated mast to improve the stealth performance of the entire ship.

The 382 type three-coordinate air search radar is 054A type standard. 057 type will not install 052D as a large four-sided shield, but the use of S-band single-sided coordinate search radar. This radar has been loaded with 892 test ship in 2012, because it is a new generation of digital phased array, the antenna area is not large, but the detection target distance than the 382 type farther.

As early as March 14, 2014, reports on the Chinese Navy next generation frigate news had caused waves. It is reported that China's fourth-generation missile frigate - 057 frigates had completed design, the frigates may at the end of 2014 to early 2015 start building. At the same time exposure of a suspected Chinese next-generation frigate design program also left military fans excited.

The Type 057 main task is anti-submarine warfare, which needs low noise. The noise of the gas turbine is smaller than that of the diesel engine, but it is less economical at lower output power.

At the same time, the complexity of the gear box and through the ship's stern propulsion shaft is not conducive to noise reduction. If the gas turbine and the diesel engine only drive the generator, and the three are placed on the shock absorber, part of the power for the ship's stern propulsion motor, the other part of the ship for other equipment, this not only solves the noise reduction problem, but also provides specifically for the power generation of auxiliary equipment, greatly simplifying the power group model, the volume and weight of the power capsule, as well as fuel consumption are reduced.

Analysts speculated that the 057 type frigate power will use dual-gas turbine and dual-diesel generator layout for power generation, and through the distribution center reasonable output propulsion power and the whole ship power supply. In the lower part of the hull and equipped with a new type of telescopic electric propulsion. The main blade uses a 5-blade variable pitch propeller.

The Type 057 would only need a 28,700 kilowatts QC-280 gas turbine, two 12PC2.6B diesel engine, the total power of 46,000 kilowatts. The two have been successfully developed 20 megawatts of permanent magnet propulsion motor.