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China’s military
ChinaMilitary

China has launched bigger, faster version of 054A guided missile frigate, online photos suggest

  • Photos suggest the ship features the 054A’s phased radar and a stealth mast also used on the country’s most advanced destroyers
  • New frigate likely to be powered by integrated electric propulsion system developed under top PLA naval engineer, observer in Taiwan says

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Photos of China’s state-owned Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding docks posted online suggest the Type 054 frigate is ready for launch. Photo: Weibo
Minnie Chan
China appears to have launched its first Type 054B guided missile frigate – a bigger, more advanced version of the Type 054A warship now in service.
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Photos from a state-owned Shanghai naval shipbuilder circulating on Chinese social media platforms suggested that the next-generation vessel had not only adopted the advanced phased radar systems of the last Type 054A batch but also the stealth mast of the Type 055 destroyer – China’s most powerful ship of its kind.

The new vessel entered a pool at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), on Saturday, according to a photo posted on the Sina Weibo microblogging site.

The CSSC has yet to announce a launch date for the 054B, even though another photo taken on Sunday showed the frigate had been decorated with many red flags suggestive of the Chinese national flag, suggesting the authorities may be set to organise a formal ceremony.

Construction work on another Type 054B vessel is also believed to be nearing completion at Guangzhou’s Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard, another CSSC subsidiary.

An image posted on China’s social media demonstrates the size of (from left) the Type 055, the new 054B and the original 054A. Photo: Weibo
An image posted on China’s social media demonstrates the size of (from left) the Type 055, the new 054B and the original 054A. Photo: Weibo

Photos posted by Chinese military enthusiasts last month showed the hull of the warship being rolled out from a dry dock, ready for launch into a pool.

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