The Type 206 class gunboat is a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

of 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 most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

's People's Liberation Army Navy. Also known as the Huludao class, it is a simplified version of the

Type 037 class submarine chaser The Type 037 corvette is a series 400–500 ton corvette type classes in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy. Unlike western navies, the People's Liberation Army Navy does not have dedicated patrol boats in its inventory. Instead, a larg ...

(also known as the Hainan class). Used for patrol duties, it has slightly reduced displacement, but an enlarged superstructure.

Construction

A total of seven of this class were sold to Algeria from 1990 to 1991. At least one unit remained in People's Liberation Army Navy service for training and patrol missions, with unconfirmed reports that the Chinese unit was up-gunned. The specification of the Type 206 class gunboat is generally similar to that of the

except for its much lighter armament, making it more suited for patrolling friendly coastal areas.

Designation

Although the Chinese classified this vessel as gunboat, its missions and weaponry were more like those of

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s, and due to the drastic reduction of the number of the crew, the living conditions were significantly better. After evaluating the class, the Chinese eventually developed a much smaller 80 ton type harbor security and patrol boat to replace the obsolete and aging Shantou, Beihai, Huangpu and Yulin classes of gunboats performing the patrol duties, thus breaking the long tradition of the People's Liberation Army Navy of having no dedicated patrol boats.

References

Gunboats of the People's Liberation Army Navy Gunboat classes {{China-mil-stub