The Jiangwei-class frigate is a continued development of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s 053-series ships. These ships are the first multi-role frigates in PLAN capable of fleet air defense, anti-shipping, and anti-submarine warfare with helicopter capability.
The 053H2G Jiangwei class frigate is slightly larger than the 053H2 Jianghu class frigate, equipped with the HQ61B SAM system for air defense. A total of four Type 053H2G ships were built between 1988 and 1991. Some sources claim that they've been upgraded with the Crotale (or Chinese copy HQ-7) SAM system, and the modernized version received the designation of Type 055. However this might be a confusion with the original Type 053H2G development project number, which was Project 055.
Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the HQ61 SAM, the PLAN ordered an improved version, the 053H3 (Jiangwei-II) to be equipped with the French-made Thomson-CSF R-330 Sea Crotale SAM. China's 2nd Space Academy (now China Academy of Defense Technology) copied the Crotale for domestic production as the HQ-7 SAM. A total of 10 Type 053H3 ships were built between 1996 and 2005.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |  People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Succeeded by: | Type 054 frigate |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,250 tons standard, 2,393 tons full load |
| Length: | 112 m |
| Beam: | 12.4 m |
| Draught: | 4.3 m |
| Propulsion: | CODAD, 2 shaft, 2 x 18E390VA diesel @ 14,000 hp (17.6 kW) & 2x MTU diesel @ 8,840 hp (6.5 kW) |
| Speed: | 28 knots |
| Range: | 5,000 miles at 15 to 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 168 (with 30 officers) |
| Armament: | 8 x YJ-83 SSM in 2 x 4-cell box launchers 8 x YJ-82 1 x 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile system 1 x 6-cell HQ-61 Surface-to-air missile system 1 x PJ33A dual 100 mm gun (automatic) 4 x Type 76A dual-37 mm AA guns 2 x 6-tube Type 3200 ASW rocket launchers (36 rockets) 2 x DC racks & launcher 6 x torpedo launchers |
| Aircraft carried: | Harbin Z-9C |
| Aviation facilities: | Hangar |
The 053H2G Jiangwei class frigate is slightly larger than the 053H2 Jianghu class frigate, equipped with the HQ61B SAM system for air defense. A total of four Type 053H2G ships were built between 1988 and 1991. Some sources claim that they've been upgraded with the Crotale (or Chinese copy HQ-7) SAM system, and the modernized version received the designation of Type 055. However this might be a confusion with the original Type 053H2G development project number, which was Project 055.Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the HQ61 SAM, the PLAN ordered an improved version, the 053H3 (Jiangwei-II) to be equipped with the French-made Thomson-CSF R-330 Sea Crotale SAM. China's 2nd Space Academy (now China Academy of Defense Technology) copied the Crotale for domestic production as the HQ-7 SAM. A total of 10 Type 053H3 ships were built between 1996 and 2005.
The 053H3 is the last of the 053-series ships to enter service with the PLAN, as the PLAN shifts toward newer hulls like the Type 054 frigate (Jiangkai I(II)-class). However this was not the end of the 053H3, as the Pakistani Navy signed a purchase agreement for 4 F-22P Frigates in 2005 valued at $600–750 million dollars. The F-22P is an improved variant of the 053H3 Frigate, the first 3 will be built in China, while the last will be built by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) in Pakistan.
