Since first entering service in 2008, the Type 054A Jiangkai II–class guided-missile frigates have become a mainstay of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surface fleet. Thirty Type 054As are now active, beginning with Zhoushan and Xuzhou, both launched in 2006 and commissioned in January 2008. The final ship of the class, Zaozhuang, joined the fleet in 2019 and was declared operational in early 2020. The Jiangkai II class has played an important role related to China’s recent maritime growth, bridging its navy’s evolution from fledgling maritime power a dozen years ago to an aggressively expanding naval powerhouse today.
The Type 054A is based on the Jiangkai I–class (Type 054) frigates, which incorporate numerous signature-reduction features but resulted in only two production units, both commissioned in 2005. The follow-on Jiangkai II design shares the Type 054’s signature-reduction hull form and added a surface-to-air missile vertical launch system (VLS), a smaller deck gun, and a more advanced close-in weapon system (CIWS). These and other enhancements made the newer Jiangkai IIs the preferred ship to replace older frigates.
The Jiangkai II class displaces roughly 4,000 tons and measures 440 feet long, with a 52.5-foot beam and a 16-foot draft. The frigates are operated by a crew of 190, have a top speed of 27 knots, and can reportedly sail up to 8,000 nautical miles at economical cruising speeds. Fitted forward between the bridge and the 76-mm main naval gun, the 32-cell VLS carries HHQ-16 surface-to-air missiles, which have a range of up to 40 nautical miles.
The ships’ offensive antiship punch is carried amidships in two quad-launchers: eight YJ-83 missiles, which are thought to have a range of roughly 100 nautical miles. Antisubmarine operations on these units are supported by a single Z-9 helicopter (a license-built copy of the Airbus AS365 Dauphin) or Kamov Ka-28 Helix naval helicopter carried in a hangar. The ship also carries six-tube 240-mm antisubmarine rocket launchers for long-range depth charges and a pair of triple 324-mm torpedo tube launchers. Yu-8 antisubmarine rockets can also be launched from the same VLS as the HHQ-16 missiles.
As with many classes of warships, late-production Jiangkai II frigates have several improvements over earlier units. The initial 16 frigates are known simply as Type 054A, while the 14 more recent units are sometimes designated Type 054A+, Type 054A2, or simply modified Jiangkai II. These are thought to possess variable-depth and towed-array sonars, as well as an improved 30-mm CIWS as last-ditch defense against antiship missiles.
China’s maritime power and influence continue to grow beyond its borders, and the multipurpose Jiangkai II-class frigates can be found far from their home waters with increasing frequency, having taken part in counterpiracy activities in the Gulf of Aden, as well as visits to the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Europe, Hawaii, and California. Although no additional PLAN Jiangkai IIs are planned, a follow-on Jiangkai III (Type 054B) design may be in the works. The class also recently notched up its first export success with the sale of four Type 054As, set for delivery to Pakistan by 2021.