CNS Type 056 / Type 056A (Jiangdao)

History

The PLA Navy Surface Force currently (2018) has 40 Type 056 frigates, which are also in service with the Bangladesh and Nigerian navies (outward-looking "P18"). These ships are mainly used as patrol units with capabilities to counter surface and air threats, and were adopted as follow-up ships to the Type 053H anti-ship frigate.

Some were developed into powerful anti-submarine (ASW) variants by the Type 056A subclass. The Type 056 succeeded the Type 037 frigates that entered service in the early 1960s.

NATO recognizes these ships as "Eondao".

As naval frigates, the Type 056 series is a dimensionally closed design, somewhere between traditional coast-facing missile boats and full-scale ocean-going (blue water) frigates. They offer state-of-the-art systems including bow-mounted sonar arrays, towed sonar arrays and Type 347G radar units. Stealth features are built into the design, including plate sides and limitations on the number of protrusions present. The chimney is low and the mast is completely enclosed.

Above the forecastle are the single deck guns and turrets, and the stern houses a helipad/hangar area - the latter serving a medium lift naval helicopter.

Installation power comes from 2 SEMT PIELSTICK PA6-STC diesel engines giving the vessel a maximum offshore speed of 25 knots and a range of 3,500 nautical miles (cruising at 16 knots). There were seventy-eight crew members on board.

Installed weapons include 1 x 76mm AK-176 deck gun, 2 x 30mm anti-aircraft guns, 2 x dual-cell YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers, 1 x 8-cell anti-aircraft 3000N surface-to-air missile launcher ( SAM) and 2 x 324 mm triple torpedo tubes. Auxiliary helicopters can also assist in subsearch/ship search and over-the-horizon reconnaissance.

Dimensions include a length of 90 meters, a width of 11.14 meters, and a draft of 4 meters. The displacement reaches 1500 tons.

The first 056 Corvette appeared in mid-2012, and the series is still under active construction, meaning more units will be added to the inventory in due course. The design serves the North Sea Fleet, the Baltic Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet. Several construction companies including Hudong Shipyard, Huangpu Shipyard and Wuhan Shipyard participated in the project.

The first ship appeared in early 2013, and the modified 056A series (Sino-Singapore Huangshi 502, Sino-Singapore Sanmenxia 593 and Sino-Singapore Zhuzhou 594) entered service in 2014.

The Bangladesh Navy will deploy a total of four Type 056 frigates (Shadhinota, Proottoy, Shongram and an unnamed unit under construction). The Nigerian Navy has two Type 056 warships (Centenary and Unity).

Specification

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Performance

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