China "Protect the Coast"... Escort Ship Deployed Forward

[Kim Daeyoung, Military Analyst] According to the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the number of warships in the Chinese Navy has increased from 255 in 2015 to approximately 360 by the end of last year. This figure is about 60 more ships than the current number of warships in the U.S. Navy.

The most numerous warships in the Chinese Navy are the Type 056A guided missile frigates. Since the launch of the Type 056A frigate in November 2013, a total of 72 ships, including the original Type 056, have been constructed. The last Type 056A frigates built, the Shangqiu and Nanyang, were commissioned on February 16. Mass-produced like making dumplings, the Type 056A frigates have been deployed to the escort flotillas of the North Sea, East Sea, and South Sea Fleets of the Chinese Navy and are considered a core force for coastal defense. China’s maritime area is 4.7 million square kilometers, more than 13 times that of South Korea.

However, in the past, the Chinese Navy was at a coastal navy level, with its main forces consisting mainly of anti-submarine or guided missile patrol boats and fast attack craft under 500 tons. After the reform and opening-up in 1978, China achieved rapid economic growth and realized the importance of the sea accordingly. Especially after Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the “building of China as a maritime power” in December 2006, the Chinese Navy began to develop into a blue-water navy while rapidly expanding its naval power. It also accelerated the modernization of its coastal forces. The Type 056 guided missile frigate, commissioned in February 2013, was a signal of coastal force modernization, with a full load displacement of 1,440 tons, unlike previous vessels.

Additionally, it was equipped with the Hongqi-10 close-in weapon system, known as the Chinese version of the RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile), and carried four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles. It also had one 76mm naval gun and torpedo launchers, enabling it to perform anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine missions. The ship could reach a maximum speed of 25 knots (46.3 km/h) and had a range of 6,482 km at a cruising speed of 16 knots (29.6 km/h). The Type 056 frigates were built in three batches, with a total of 22 ships constructed simultaneously at three shipyards, including Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard, and two ships were exported each to Bangladesh and Nigeria.

The Type 056A guided missile frigate, deployed to the Chinese Navy since November 2014, is an enhanced model of the Type 056 with improved anti-submarine capabilities, equipped with both fixed and towed sonar systems. The lead ship of the Type 056A class, the Sanmensha, was assigned to the East Sea Fleet, responsible for the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea. Additionally, about ten Type 056 and 056A guided missile frigates have been deployed to the North Sea Fleet, which oversees the Yellow Sea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.