What Will the Chinese Navy’s Next Frigate Look Like?

The U.S. Navy has chosen its next frigate; what will China’s look like?

The Type 054A class frigate was first launched in 2006 and commissioned in early 2008, and the 30th and final vessel was launched in mid 2018 and commissioned in early 2019, making for 30 such frigates commissioned over the course of 10 years.

Mission Requirements

In many ways, the Type 054A offered an exceptional balance of capability, range, cost, numbers, and technological maturity for the PLAN and the Chinese shipbuilding industry of the time, and fit the roles of a frigate within the overall fleet structure quite comfortably.

AAW and Propulsion

In terms of AAW subsystems, the 054B’s most major departure from the 054A is likely to be an improved radar system. Photos earlier this year depicted a twin face phased array radar system mounted atop one of the PLAN’s test ships.

Procurement Scale and Speed

One of the most notable characteristics of the 054A was the pace at which ships were built and commissioned. Thirty ships were launched over the course of 10 years, for an average of three ships per year, with a peak of four ships launched in 2011.

Summary

Multiple navies around the world during this decade will see new frigate designs emerge. The U.K. will see its Type 26 and Type 31 frigates reach fruition.

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