Armament is centered on 8 x YJ-83 surface-to-surface missiles held in twin 4-cell launchers. There is a single 8-cell HQ-7 surface-to-air missile (SAM) unit as well (the HG-7 is the Chinese take on the French R330 "Sea Crotale" weapon). The HQ-7 is a notable upgrade over the Jiangwei I class ships, improving on the original's HQ-61B SAM weapon systems. Beyond this missile weaponry are more conventional, projectile-driven systems like the 100mm PJ33A twin-gunned turreted deck gun over the forecastle and 4 x 37mm Type 76A twin-gunned Anti-Aircraft (AA) autocannons. The warship also carries 2 x Triple-tubed torpedo launchers, 2 x Depth charge racks and 2 x 6-tubed Type 3200 Anti-Submarine ROCket (ASROC) launchers.
Fourteen ships were built to the Jiangwei II standard; ten for the Chinese Navy and a further four to serve the Pakistani Navy. The first Chinese vessel to enter service became CNS Lianyungang (522), built by Hudong and launched in October of 1997. She was formally commissioned in January of 1998. All of the ten PLAAN vessels maintain an active presence in the Chinese fleet, the group divided into the East Sea Fleet, the North Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet. The final vessel, CNS Mianyang (528), was commissioned in April of 2005.
The warships began a Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) program sometime in 2015 to keep them viable for the long-term. Improvements are being made to the radar and electronic warfare suites and more advanced missile and digitally-directed weaponry is being introduced.
The four warships built for Pakistan have been given the names of Zulfiquar (251), Shamsheer (252), Saif (253) and Aslat (254).
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