''Xiangtan'' (531) is a
Type 054A frigate
The Type 054A (NATO/ OSD Jiangkai II) is a class of guided-missile frigate from the People's Republic of China. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate; compared to its predecessor, the Type 054A has medium-range air defense capability in th ...
of the
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...
. She was commissioned on 24 February 2016.
Development and design
The Type 054A carries
HQ-16
The HQ-16 () is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) from the People's Republic of China. It is derived from earlier versions of the Russian Buk missile system.
Development
Development began in 2005, and was reportedly assisted by the Alm ...
medium-range air defence missiles and anti-submarine missiles in a
vertical launching system
A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mor ...
(VLS) system. The HQ-16 has a range of up to 50 km, with superior range and engagement angles to the Type 054's
HQ-7
The HQ-7 is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) from the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by populati ...
. The Type 054A's VLS uses a hot launch method; a shared common exhaust system is sited between the two rows of rectangular launching tubes.
The four
AK-630
The AK-630 is a Soviet and Russian fully automatic naval, rotary cannon, close-in weapon system. The "630" designation refers to the weapon's six gun barrels and their 30 mm caliber.
The system is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and dir ...
close-in weapon systems (CIWS) of the Type 054 were replaced with two
Type 730 CIWS
The Type 730 is a Chinese seven-barrelled 30 mm Gatling gun/Rotary cannon CIWS. It has a PLA Navy designation H/PJ12. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar, and electro-optical tracking systems. The maximum rat ...
on the Type 054A. The autonomous Type 730 provides improved reaction time against close-in threats.
Construction and career
''Xiangtan'' was launched on 19 March 2015 at the
China State Shipbuilding Corporation in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. Commissioned on 24 February 2016.
On 22 May 2022, the ''Xiangtan'' conducted drills in the
East China Sea
The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
as a part of the Liaoning Carrier Group; and they were sighted near
Miyako Island
is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands ...
by the
JMSDF
, abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
.
Gallery
File:PLANS Xiangtan (FFG-531) 20160408.jpg, ''Xiangtan'' underway on 9 April 2016.
File:PLANS Xiangtan (FFG-531) 20200529.jpg, ''Xiangtan'' underway on 29 May 2020.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xiangtan
2015 ships
Ships built in China
Type 054 frigates