Replicating the Riga and the Type 065 In the 1950s, the Soviets provided China with four kits for
Riga-class frigates and four completed
Gnevny-class destroyers. These entered PLAN service as the Type 01
Chengdu class and the Type 07
Anshan class, respectively. The
Riga kits were assembled by the Huangpu Shipyard in
Guangzhou, and the Hudong Shipyard in
Shanghai, from 1955 to 1958. These ships formed the PLAN's backbone in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the
Sino-Soviet split and the withdrawal of Soviet aid, the
Wuhan-based No. 701 Institute began reverse-engineering the Type 01 in 1962. The result was the Type 065. It was based on the Riga class hull, with the
flush deck replaced by a long
forecastle. This modification was needed to accommodate a large medium-speed diesel powerplant; the civilian diesel was a substitute for the Riga class' compact high-pressure steam turbine powerplant that the Chinese were unable to replicate. The first Type 065,
Haikou (529), was laid down at Huangpu in August 1964 and commissioned by August 1966.
Type 053K air-defence frigate From 1965 to 1967, the No. 701 Institute designed the Type 053K (
Kong for air-defence), an air-defence variant of the Type 065. This met a PLAN requirement for air-defence ships to accompany the surface-warfare
Type 051 destroyers. The Type 053K was originally intended to have three screws powered by a
combined gas-turbine and diesel engine, with a speed of 38 knots. Technical constraints forced the Chinese to settle for a diesel engine, powering two screws for a maximum speed of 30 knots. The Type 053Ks were armed with
HQ-61 surface-to-air missiles, launched from two twin-armed launchers. These entered service in the mid-1980s. The 100 mm. gun armament was also delayed. This class received
NATO reporting name as
Jiangdong class. Only two Type 053Ks were completed, possibly due to unsatisfactory performance and the long development time for their intended armament.
Yingtan (531) was laid down in 1970 and commissioned in 1977, and followed by
Zhongdong (532). Both ships were withdrawn from service in 1992, with one scrapped in 1994 and the other preserved as a museum ship.
Type 053H surface-warfare frigate anti-ship missiles The PLAN retired many older frigates in the 1970s, and the No. 701 Institute developed the Type 053H (
Hai for anti-ship) as a replacement. The initial design was armed with four
SY-1 anti-ship missiles in two twin-missile box launchers, two single 100 mm. guns, six twin 37mm guns, depth charges and short-range ASW rockets. The Type 053H was improved in four successive subclasses, receiving NATO codenames
Jianghu-II through
Jianghu-V. The Type 053Hs were succeeded by the PLAN's first multirole frigates, the
Type 053H2G and Type 053H3 frigates.
Type 053H2 surface-warfare frigate The Type 053H2, NATO codename
Jianghu-III, is an improved version of Type 053H1 frigates. Between 1985 and 1992, Hudong Shipyard built seven hulls for the
People's Liberation Army Navy (three ships) and
Royal Thai Navy (four ships). The F25Ts were fitted with Western engines and armament, and their construction was supervised by technical advisers from the German ship building industry. Sonars on these F25Ts are SO-7H, which is the Chinese version of French DUBA25.
Transfers to the Coast Guard In 2007, the Type 053H frigates "509" and "510" were transferred to the
China Coast Guard and refitted as Ocean Patrol Vehicles "1002" and "1003". The superstructure was heavily modified. Armament was reduced to a small cannon forward and heavy machine guns; some of freed space was used to stow small patrol boats and add crew quarters.
Transfers to Bangladesh Navy One used Type 053H1 frigate was sold to the
Bangladesh Navy as
BNS Osman in 1989. She was the first guided missile frigate to enter in service with the Bangladesh Navy. In 2013, two Type 053H2 frigates were transferred to
Bangladesh Navy as
BNS Abu Bakr and
BNS Ali Haider respectively.
Transfers to Myanmar In 2012, two Type 053H1 frigates,
Anshun (FFG 554) and
Jishou (FFG 557) were transferred to
Myanmar Navy as UMS
Mahar Bandoola (F-21) and UMS
Mahar Thiha Thura (F-23) respectively.
Incidents On 11 July 2012, a Type 0531G ship,
Dongguan (560), ran aground on a
shoal off the coast of the
Philippines. The area where the incident occurred, known as Half Moon Shoal (Hasa Hasa Shoal in the Philippines) in the
Spratly Islands is 60 miles west of
Rizal, Palawan. By 15 July the ship had been refloated and was returning to port with no casualty and only minor damage. Confrontations over
territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and particularly the
disputed status of the Spratly Islands, have become more frequent in recent years, and caused noticeable friction at the 2012
ASEAN summit in
Phnom Penh that was taking place at the same time as the incident. Completely withdrawn from active duty in the 1980s, but remained as training, museum, and public relations ships. The ships remain on the PLAN's roster, and their upkeep at museums is provided by the PLAN. •
Type 053K (NATO codename Jiangdong) :Air-defense frigate armed with two twin-armed
HQ-61 surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers. Only two built, and retired from active service in the early 1990s.
Yingtan (531) is docked at a museum in
Qingdao; the PLAN retains ownership and provides upkeep, while
Zhongdong (532) was scrapped. •
Type 053H (NATO codename Jianghu-I) :"Mass production" surface warfare frigate whose design and equipment were hopelessly outdated before the first ship even completed. The only nod to modernity was the four anti-ship
SY-1s in two twin-box launchers. Remaining armament consisted to two single 100mm dual-purpose hand-loaded guns with fire control by a very simple stereoscopic rangefinder, limiting the guns to effective fire against surface targets in daylight/clear weather only. The six twin 37mm short-range anti-aircraft guns were all locally controlled, severely limiting their effectiveness. These ships are equipped with Chinese SJD-3 sonar, which is modification of Soviet Tamir-11 (MG-11, with
NATO reporting name Stag Hoof) hull mounted sonar: instead of being fixed to the hull, SJD-3 has a telescoping arm, so when not in use, the sonar is stored in the hull, and when deployed, the sonar is lowered into water several meter below the hull, thus increased detection range by avoiding baffles generated by the hull.11 Anti-submarine armament was limited to short-range rockets and depth charges. Damage control arrangements were minimal. Of the original fourteen ships built to this variant, all are now decommissioned except one reserved as an experiment platform. •
Type 053H1 (NATO codename Jianghu-II) :Improved Type 053H with newer electronics, engine, and
replenishment equipment. The sonar for Type 053H1 is SJD-5, which is a Chinese development of Soviet Tamir-11 (MG-11), (
NATO reporting name Stag Hoof), with
transistors replacing vacuum tubes in the original Soviet MG-11. Armed with six
SY-2 in two triple-box launchers. :
Zhaotong (555) was modified with more advanced systems as a test bed.
PL-9C SAMs were added to its 37mm AA gun mounts. •
Type 053H1Q (NATO codename Jianghu-IV) :Modified Type 053H with aft weapons replaced with a helicopter deck for
Harbin Z-9 helicopter. Armed with one SY-1 SSM dual-box launcher, and a compact French-made 100mm gun. Only one ship was built;
Siping (544) served with the
North Sea Fleet. This ship was renamed as
Lushun in July 2010, and later transferred to Chinese Naval Academy to serve as a training ship. •
Type 053H1G (NATO codename Jianghu-V) :Originally an economy class based on the Type 053H1. Six built by the
Guangzhou-based Huangpu Shipyard in the 1990s to meet an urgent need for ships by the
South Sea Fleet. Incorporated improvements from the Type 053H2, including air-tight cabins, central air conditioning, NBC protection, and integrated combat system. The sonar for Type 0531G is EH-5A, the latest variant of SJD-5/EH-5/Echo Type 5 family, and it's a highly digitized version. Initially armed with six obsolescent SY-1A in two tripled-box launchers, later upgraded to eight
YJ-83 SSM in two four-box launchers. •
Type 053H2G (NATO codename Jiangwei-I) •
Type 053H3 (NATO codename Jiangwei-II) • '''
Naresuan class''' ==General characteristics==