CNS Type 054B

Guided-Missile Frigate

China | 2024

"The Type 054B marks an all-new guided-missile frigate design appearing under construction at a Chinese shipyard with enhanced capabilities and all-modern systems."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/01/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The newest addition to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) inventory of China is the Type 054B guided-missile frigate. The design is a dimensionally larger, more modern, and heavier warship when compared to the in-service frigate offerings available. The unfinished hull was revealed in August of 2023 while at Hudong-Zhonghua, Shanghai as it completes its construction phase. At least three other hulls are thought to be under construction marking an all-new generation of "fighting frigates" for the country as it continues to inch towards naval dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.

On paper, the Type 054B is seen as a direct successor to the aging line of Type 054A (Jiangkai II) class warships which began entering commissioned service in 2008 with some 30 total hulls completed to date (2023).

In keeping with modern naval warfare, the new vessel is a "multi-mission" design capable of operating independently or as part of the main fighting fleet with systems aboard to counter most any at-sea threat: S-Band Active, Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar / X-band radar, hull and towed sonar arrays, battlefield management / fire control (Type 349A), and Electronic Warfare (EW) are all addressed in the new frigate.

The profile of the ship is consistent with modern warship design: protrusions are kept to a minimum and slab-sides provide a stealthy appearance along the horizon. The main mast is of an enclosed, pyramidal type and the smoke funnels are low-profile installations at midships. The hull line is unbroken from bow to stern and the rear section of the hull is stepped down from the hangar deck to the helicopter landing area to better serve the Harbin Z-20 ("Chinese Blackhawk") types. A second mast work is set aft of midships and integrated into the smoke funnel structure.

The weapons suite appears to follow established tradition as guided-missile frigates go: there is a 100mm turreted deck gun over the forecastle with a 32-cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) set just aft of this installation and ahead of the bridge section. The VLS will have support for various in-service Chinese Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) solutions. At midships will be 2 x 4-cell ASM launchers and a single 30mm H/PJ-11 Gatling-style Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) ahead of the bridge is expected to round out the offensive capabilities of the warship. Though not confirmed, 2 x 324mm triple torpedo tubes will most likely form a part of the armament suite.

Over the rear is the landing pad with integrated hangar facilities for supporting up to two medium-lift navy helicopters (one exposed, the other housed) used in Over-the-Horizon (OtH) work. Support for tactical-level, maritime-minded ISR / UCAV drones is assumed for this modern warship.

An electric-assisted propulsion system will propel the ship to speeds of 29 knots out to a range of 5,000 miles (estimated).

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for CNS Type 054B.

2 x Gas Turbines driving 2 x Shafts astern.
Propulsion

29.0 kts
33.4 mph
Surface Speed

4,345 nm
5,000 miles | 8,047 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of CNS Type 054B.

200
Personnel
Complement

515.0 ft
156.97 meters
O/A Length

58.8 ft
17.92 meters
Beam

20.0 ft
6.10 meters
Draught

6,000
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of CNS Type 054B.

1 x 100mm turreted deck gun over forecastle.
1 x 32-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS) supporting Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) and / or Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) solutions ahead of bridge section / aft of deck gun emplacement.
2 x 4-cell Anti-ship missile launchers at midships.
1 x 30mm H/PJ-11 Gatling-style Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) ahead of bridge section.
2 x 324mm triple torpedo tubes (assumed).

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of CNS Type 054B.

1 or 2 x Medium-lift navy helicopters supported from the stern flight deck / hangar area. Also assumed support for various tactical-level maritime drones / UAVs.

Ships-in-Class (4)
Notable series variants as part of the CNS Type 054B family line as relating to the Type 054B group.

Unnamed Hull 1; Unnamed Hull 2; Unnamed Hull 3; Unnamed Hull 4

Operators
Global operator(s) of the CNS Type 054B. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

Shipbuilder(s): Hudong-Zhonghua (Shanghai) - China

[ China ]

Going Further...
CNS Type 054B Guided-Missile Frigate appears in the following collections:

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