Type 056 corvette
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The Type 056 corvette (NATO reporting name: Jiangdao-class corvette) is a class of warship deployed by the
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
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 ...
(PLAN). They replace older patrol craft and some of the
Type 053H frigate The Type 053 is a family of People's Republic of China, Chinese Frigate, frigates that served with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, and a small number of foreign navies. Nomenclature for Chinese warships was temporarily changed d ...
s. The first Type 056 entered service in February 2013. An
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
(ASW) variant, commonly known as Type 056A, has also entered service. Following construction of the ''Aba'' in December 2019, China ceased building of Type 056 corvettes to focus on procuring bigger warships for high sea missions. Two 1,800 ton patrol variants, P18N have been delivered to Nigerian Navy and four C13B 1,300 ton corvette variants have been sold to
Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী, Bangladesh Nou Bahini) is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area, and the defence of imp ...
.


History and development

The Type 056 hull may have been based on the '' Pattani''-class
offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...
s, which were built in China for
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
from 2005 to 2006. The first ship was launched by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in May 2012. In late 2012, corvettes were being produced by four Chinese shipyards. The Type 056A were in production by late 2013. The Type 056 series was constructed at a high production rate to enhance the PLAN's littoral warfare capabilities. By February 2021, the PLAN had commissioned the last ships of the class, for a total of 22 Type 056 and 50 Type 056A. This reportedly completed the entire production run for the class. In 2022, the PLAN transferred a batch of Type 056 to the China Coast Guard, likely the original 22 Type 056 class. As a result, the PLAN fleet shrank in 2022.


Design

The Type 056
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
fills the capability gap between the Type 022 missile boat and the
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 ...
. It is 90 metres long, displaces 1500 tons, and incorporates anti-radar features. The Type 056 is suited for mid-range green-water missions and
littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...
duties, but not for major blue-water combat operations; it is built with a 15-day endurance for combat missions such as patrol, escort and protection of EEZ maritime interests within from the coast, freeing up larger warships for open ocean deployment.China's 36th & 37th Type 056 Corvettes (Jiangdao class) Commissioned in PLAN South Sea Fleet
– Navyrecognition.com, 28 November 2017
The Type 056 corvette has crew of 78 people with a top speed of , and a range of at . Surface armament is reported as an AK-176 76 mm naval gun, two H/PJ-17 30 mm
autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...
s, and four
YJ-83 The YJ-83 (; NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) is a Chinese subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. It is manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Third Academy.Gromley et al.: page 101 Description The YJ-83 uses mi ...
anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...
s. FL-3000N
surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
s are carried in a single eight-cell launcher. Finally, there are two triple-tube 324 mm torpedo launchers, which may carry Yu-7 light ASW
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
es. The basic Type 056 is equipped with Type 347G (LR66) radar and bow-mounted sonar. The Type 056A adds towed array and variable depth sonars (VDS); the towed body suggests the VDS is "not an exact copy" of either the Italian/US DE-1163 or the French DUBV-43. It is likely that the Chinese will have undertaken extensive trials and analysis of any imported equipment and built a nominally indigenous system using the knowledge gained. The Type 056 has a helicopter deck for a Z-9-sized helicopter, but no hangar.


Variants

The P18 corvette is the export version of Type 056. The P18 is advertised as displacing 1,800 tons, with a length and a beam; the power plant is two MTU 20V 4000M diesel engines, for a maximum speed of ; armament may include a 76 mm. gun, two 30 mm. cannon, up to eight anti-ship missiles, and two triple torpedo launchers; a medium-sized helicopter may be carried. In 2014, the P18 was reportedly considered by
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
to fill a requirement for up to nine ships. In late 2014,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
reportedly agreed to purchase five P18s, two to be built in China, and the remainder to be co-produced in Argentina. The ships would be called the ''Malvinas'' class, and have towed array sonar and an enlarged landing deck to handle Sea King helicopters. Each ship may cost .


Bangladesh

C13B is the surface warfare variant of Type 056 corvette for
Bangladesh Navy The Bangladesh Navy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ নৌবাহিনী, Bangladesh Nou Bahini) is the naval warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, responsible for Bangladesh's of maritime territorial area, and the defence of imp ...
. The corvettes are in length and displace 1,330 tons. Each warship is armed with a H/PJ-26 76 mm gun,
C-802A The YJ-83 (; NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) is a Chinese subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. It is manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Third Academy.Gromley et al.: page 101 Description The YJ-83 uses mi ...
anti-ship missiles, FL-3000N SAMs and two H/PJ-17-1 30mm remote controlled gun turrets and two Type 87 ASW rocket launchers. Like the Type 056, there is a helicopter pad but no hangar. The corvette has a reported speed of . The first batch of two corvettes was ordered from Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan, reportedly in October 2012. The ships were laid down on 8 January 2013. ''Shadhinota'' (F111), the lead ship, was launched on 30 November 2014. The second ship, ''Prottoy'' (F112) was launched on 30 December 2014. ''Shadhinota'' and ''Prottoy'' were commissioned on 19 March 2016. The second batch of two corvettes was ordered on 21 July 2015 to the Chinese shipyard. Construction of the ships began on 9 August 2016. The third ship of the class, ''Sangram'' (F113), was launched on 12 February 2018. The fourth ship of the class, ''Prottasha'' (F114) was launched on 8 April 2018. Bangladesh Navy has received the final two corvettes, ''Sangram'' and ''Prottasha''. The corvettes were handed over to the service on 28 March and arrived at the naval base in Chittagong on 27 April 2019, said ISPR. According to Jane's 360, the latest two appear to be equipped with a more advanced phased-array radar unlike the first two ships of the class.


Nigeria

The P18N
offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...
(OPV) is the variant operated by the Nigerian Navy. The P18N displaces 1,800 tons, is long, has an endurance of 20 days, a maximum speed of and a range of at . It has a crew of 75. Armament is reportedly a single NG-16-1 76 mm gun with a TR47 fire-control radar, two 30 mm guns, and two 20 mm guns. The class has an Oil Support Recovery System to combat
oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
s. Unlike the Type 056, the P18N has a helicopter hangar.
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
ordered two P18Ns from CSOC in April 2012 for each. The first was slated to be completed in China, with the final 50–70% of the second being completed at the Nigerian Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt; CSOC was contracted to upgrade the shipyard to facilitate this. NNS ''Centenary'' (F91), the first P18N, was built at the Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan. It was launched January 2014 and completed trials in October 2014. ''Centenary'' left China in December 2014 and arrived in
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
, Nigeria in February 2015; it was commissioned the same month. Delivery was originally expected in mid-2014. The second OPV, NNS ''Unity'' (F92), was reported in February 2015 to be undergoing outfitting at Wuchang, and was expected to be delivered in 2015. Nigeria had originally expected to receive it in mid-2014 for completion at Port Harcourt. The ship was delivered on 4 November 2016 to the Nigerian Navy in
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...
. NNS ''Unity'' was commissioned on 15 December 2016. In January 2017 the vessel was deployed to The Gambia in a "show of strength" as part of an ECOWAS sponsored intervention in the 2016–17 Gambian constitutional crisis.


Algeria

The
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade as well a ...
(SIPRI) reported that
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
ordered a 96-metre "OPV/frigate" in 2020; SIPRI provisionally listed the class as "Pattani". According to social media the ship is an export derivative of the Type 056 and was launched by August 2021.


China Coast Guard variant

A Type 056 variant for the China Coast Guard was under construction at Huangpu in late-2014. The forward superstructure was moved back to make for a raised structure ahead of the bridge. Large
davit Boat suspended from radial davits; the boat is mechanically lowered Gravity multi-pivot on Scandinavia'' file:Bossoir a gravité.jpg, Gravity Roller Davit file:Davits-starbrd.png, Gravity multi-pivot davit holding rescue vessel on North Sea ferr ...
s were installed ahead of the flight deck on both sides of the ships. It is not expected to be armed with the 76 mm. gun, missiles, or other weapon systems. In 2022, China also transferred 22 original Type 056 variant to the China Coast Guard.


Ships in class

; ; ;


See also


Ships of comparable role, configuration, and era

* * * * *
Project 22160 patrol ship Project 22160 is a series of large patrol ships being constructed for the Russian Navy. The vessels are primarily intended for duties such as patrol, monitoring and protection in open and closed seas. The first ship was laid down in February 2 ...
*


Related lists

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List of active People's Liberation Army Navy ships The ship types in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) include aircraft carriers, submarines, (both nuclear and conventional), amphibious transport docks, landing ships, tank, landing ships, medium, destroyers, frigates, co ...


References

{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy Corvette classes Corvettes of the People's Liberation Army Navy