056 class FFL/corvette

83 ASW Flotilla based to Xiamen had yet 583 with 2 Haiqing and 4 Hainan that would have been removed.

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Franklin said:

Actually there are 16 Type 054A and at this point only 15 Type 056 active in the PLAN. Does anyone know how many Type 037's have been decommissioned so far ? And how many there are left ?

It bothers me that the shipyards in China are focussing more on the Type 056, Type 052D and coast guard cutters then on the Type 052C and the Type 054A that are still the backbone of the PLAN fleet. So far this year we have not seen a single type 052C or Type 054a commissioned.

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Well, I think the PLAN is shifting priorities a bit to focus on securing the waters within the 1st island chain rather than expanding operations beyond it while continuing their cutting edge applied R&D. Churning out 056s and getting 052Ds ready to be put through their paces would serve these purposes better than completing fewer and not as cutting edge 052Cs and 054As.

I wonder what kind of weapon does the anti-sub version use ? Just plain torpedos or does China have a ASROC like platform ?

Franklin said:

I wonder what kind of weapon does the anti-sub version use ? Just plain torpedos or does China have a ASROC like platform ?

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Ship based weapons are usually for self defence rather than sub hunting. It is the sensors on the anti sub 056 which will be important rather than its ASW weapons. The duty of actually prosecuting the target will be for submarines, and likely land based fixed wing MPA ASW birds.

Bltizo said:

Ship based weapons are usually for self defence rather than sub hunting. It is the sensors on the anti sub 056 which will be important rather than its ASW weapons. The duty of actually prosecuting the target will be for submarines, and likely land based fixed wing MPA ASW birds.

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My guess is that the Type 056 ASW plan calls for close coordination with land based MPA fixed wing, but especially ASW helos that can use the 056 landing deck as a base of operation while hunting/prosecuting targets.

In the littorals, such a coordinated effort would be very effective.

The ASW 056 on sea trial, 593

Bltizo said:

Ship based weapons are usually for self defence rather than sub hunting. It is the sensors on the anti sub 056 which will be important rather than its ASW weapons. The duty of actually prosecuting the target will be for submarines, and likely land based fixed wing MPA ASW birds.

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I like to think of the Type 054A as an ASW platform as well. If its VLS cells can hold anti-submarine rockets, then it could potentially be a very capable unit and a crucial component of any CBG when coupled with aerial assets.

Jeff Head said:

My guess is that the Type 056 ASW plan calls for close coordination with land based MPA fixed wing, but especially ASW helos that can use the 056 landing deck as a base of operation while hunting/prosecuting targets.

In the littorals, such a coordinated effort would be very effective.

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Not an expert here, but could the Type 056 theoretically work in tandem with the likes of the 039 submarine, in which one unit would carry out scout duty while the other one packs the punch?

SinoSoldier said:

I like to think of the Type 054A as an ASW platform as well. If its VLS cells can hold anti-submarine rockets, then it could potentially be a very capable unit and a crucial component of any CBG when coupled with aerial assets.

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Even without VL Asroc, having a TAS, bow sonar, and a helicopter (and soon VDS), already makes 054A a good ASW option for blue water, and maybe as a control ship for 056s and other assorted airborne ASW assets in green water.

What the PLAN needs is more proliferate numbers of capable medium sized ASW helicopters (basically an ASW Z-20) among all its current ASW capable ships. On bigger ships, like maybe 055 or other future DDGs and FFGs, they should look into larger helicopters like the merlin sized Z-18FQ as a standard complement.

Closer to home, they need to hurry up their Y-8GX6 development and don't stop producing them until they have a few regiments to form a core to build around, and also hurry up with their SOSUS network. Thankfully, it looks like they will soon have a large number of 056As with TAS, VDS, and bow sonar to cover green water, but they need the longer reach of a fixed wing ASW bird, and other ships with organic helicopters, to deliver the prosecution.

SinoSoldier said:

Not an expert here, but could the Type 056 theoretically work in tandem with the likes of the 039 submarine, in which one unit would carry out scout duty while the other one packs the punch?

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Thing is, it's probably more efficient using your own submarine force to pick off enemy surface ships or submarines instead of having to pair up with surface ships as a dedicated ASW attacker.

That doesn't preclude submarines maybe receiving targets of opportunity from surface ships, but as a dedicated appendage of a surface ASW ship, they will simply be too slow to be as effective as a helicopter.