056 class FFL/corvette

I think she is going to carry the same AShM as the type 054A.

tphuang said:

A couple of thoughts. It's amazing how large the AK-176M looks on this ship. Really shows how small it is. I'm guessing 1000 ton in standard displacement. I suppose they are going to put some AShM cannisters on this ship, but it remains to be seen for which AShM. The HQ-10 missile looks like the type with 24 missiles and no relauncher.

I could be completely off here, but that looks to be two little hangars for S-100 size UAV? Also wondering if they are going to put any kind TAS on this ship in the future. It looks to have the space for it.

---------- Post added at 12:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------

If we compare this to K-130 class

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It's actually quite a bit smaller, but otherwise quite comparable. Both ships look to have hangars for 2 S-100 UAVs. The main gun is 76 mm in both cases and probably will both have 4 AShMs (if we believe the model). Type 056 will have one less RAM like cIWS than K-130. I'd imagine it would have smaller crew than K-130 and also have less range. Either way, a nice little ship that should fill up the littoral waters.

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Braunschweig has no sonar array what's so ever. 056 has a bow as well as TAS... there is no point raising the aft deck if they will not put some equipment like a tas in there.
that TAS along is worth a lot more capability then the extra 21 rounds of ram of Braunschweig, also prob has a tube for lightweight torpedos and prob some rocket depth charger launcher

like it was said, 056 has the raised stern section, seems to have plenty of space for a TAS, and the real evidence really is the hole right smack in the middle of where TAS holes usually are. and it looks like a proper TAS hole, just like the TAS holes on early burkes.

Unmanned helos puzzle me though. if 056 had just a helipad, with no hangars, i would understand this. but to have two separate mini hangars for two unmanned helos, i dont see the purpose of those. unless we are talking about something significantly bigger than s100, which is very questionable. problem is that s100 (and any helo similar in size) is a 200 kg MTOW class aircraft. That means something like 50 kg payloads, probably less, when fully fueled. There is no way that thing can carry a dipping sonar, a decent radar or anything else but a medium sized EO sensor ball.

So, if we are talking about s100 class helos there, those two aircraft will basically be slightly extended eyes for a peek over the horizon. While I can see the use of that for coast guard duty, pirate patrols etc; that extra 50 or even 100 km sensor reach means little in combat situations against surface oponents and means almost nothing against submarines, for which 056 seems to be made.

unless, of course, 056 is a dual use ship - for coastal ASW duties as well for coast guard patrols. in which case we may see a very large number built. But then again, why put TAS and what not on a coast guard duty vessel?

joshuatree said:

I think perhaps another poster may have mentioned 054s replacing 051s (Ludas) but I can see that correlation. 051B, 051C, 052, 052Bs seemed to be experimentation/hybrids/learning before finally settling on 052Cs for serial production. So the 052Cs would be something totally new for PLAN, not a replacement for anything.

As you say, Jianghus were at one point modern frigates for PLAN. But none of those frigates ever ventured far from home waters. As PLAN successfully grew, Jianghus have become basic littoral vessels to PLAN today. It's not an insult but rather a compliment. At this point, I do see 056s replacing Jianghus and specifically 037 sub chasers if they build versions of 056 with more ASW capability. If the first 056s replace the 037 missile boats in HK, it would be more of an upgrade to the HK flotilla rather than just a mere replacement in my book.

Just out of curiosity, what do you consider as replacements for Jianghus, the 054s? I would tend to think that was the original intent but the development of the 054 took it so far beyond the Jianghu class which is why the 056 came into being.

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Well, the reality of those replacements for PLAN are quite different from the west. The fact is all their current surface replacements (ie. missile boats-022, corvette-056, frigate-054A, DDG-052C) are at least two generations ahead of the ships they suppose to replace. Because the jumps are so big. They do give people the impression that their current lower class ships are replacing the older but higher class ships, which won't be the case for PLAN's subs (because there's regular Son-Class in the middle to fill that generation 'hole').

So, even to PLAN all their current and near future surface ship replacements feel like total upgrade rather than mere replacements. Replacements are suppose to be upgrades, anyways. And in PLAN's case the 'overlaps' are clearly there. However, to say 056s are the replacements for Jianghus is not correct. The fact that they are building more than 50 of them and their small size (some say no more than 1200 ton full displacement) suggest they are the replacements for all those 037s.

In terms of PLAN's older frigates and destroyers didn't go very far from the shore. Well, that's a relevant statement really. At the time, those old ship did seal 'very far' by PLAN's standard 20-30 years ago. I'm sure having those ships couple of hundreds miles from their shore was almost equivalent to modern day PLAN having their ships operating near Somali water. I guess we just can't use the compare or use the same terminologies for PLAN to their western counterparts.

I think that this really is a quite special little ship, with its high spec and low cost and I have little doubt that Beijing is fully aware of and planning to exploit its export potential.

I have much confidence that it is going to become a mainstay of many developing nations navies well into the middle of this century

I would even go so far as to speculate that this ship will become as Iconic in its own way as are the T72, the AK47 and Mig21.

A tall claim I know but I think justified and if true, we are witnessing a very special moment indeed.

Totoro said:

like it was said, 056 has the raised stern section, seems to have plenty of space for a TAS, and the real evidence really is the hole right smack in the middle of where TAS holes usually are. and it looks like a proper TAS hole, just like the TAS holes on early burkes.

Unmanned helos puzzle me though. if 056 had just a helipad, with no hangars, i would understand this. but to have two separate mini hangars for two unmanned helos, i dont see the purpose of those. unless we are talking about something significantly bigger than s100, which is very questionable. problem is that s100 (and any helo similar in size) is a 200 kg MTOW class aircraft. That means something like 50 kg payloads, probably less, when fully fueled. There is no way that thing can carry a dipping sonar, a decent radar or anything else but a medium sized EO sensor ball.

So, if we are talking about s100 class helos there, those two aircraft will basically be slightly extended eyes for a peek over the horizon. While I can see the use of that for coast guard duty, pirate patrols etc; that extra 50 or even 100 km sensor reach means little in combat situations against surface oponents and means almost nothing against submarines, for which 056 seems to be made.

unless, of course, 056 is a dual use ship - for coastal ASW duties as well for coast guard patrols. in which case we may see a very large number built. But then again, why put TAS and what not on a coast guard duty vessel?

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My gut feeling is that the 056 hull was designed for multiple duties in mind. UAVs will not be used in ASW ops. But if you are keeping UAVs on board, you still need a hangar to store them. A helo with dipping sonar can be loaded onto the pad for ASW missions. I don't think 056s will deploy with a helo as standard.

Totoro said:

like it was said, 056 has the raised stern section, seems to have plenty of space for a TAS, and the real evidence really is the hole right smack in the middle of where TAS holes usually are. and it looks like a proper TAS hole, just like the TAS holes on early burkes.

Unmanned helos puzzle me though. if 056 had just a helipad, with no hangars, i would understand this. but to have two separate mini hangars for two unmanned helos, i dont see the purpose of those. unless we are talking about something significantly bigger than s100, which is very questionable. problem is that s100 (and any helo similar in size) is a 200 kg MTOW class aircraft. That means something like 50 kg payloads, probably less, when fully fueled. There is no way that thing can carry a dipping sonar, a decent radar or anything else but a medium sized EO sensor ball.

So, if we are talking about s100 class helos there, those two aircraft will basically be slightly extended eyes for a peek over the horizon. While I can see the use of that for coast guard duty, pirate patrols etc; that extra 50 or even 100 km sensor reach means little in combat situations against surface oponents and means almost nothing against submarines, for which 056 seems to be made.

unless, of course, 056 is a dual use ship - for coastal ASW duties as well for coast guard patrols. in which case we may see a very large number built. But then again, why put TAS and what not on a coast guard duty vessel?

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200 kg mtow is enough to drop sonar bouys.
also rememeber QH-50 DASH program.
it is basically a remote contriolled helicopter that was able to drop two asw torpedo into water 20 kms from the ship
and it was intended to serve on smaller Gearing FRAM destroyers that was built in ww2 but lack space to support full manned helio.
I am not entirely convinced that the unmanned helicoptered carried by 056 will be 200 kg mtow, it would be bigger. just look at the hangar doors, you could almost squeezei in a robinson R22 in there!

tphuang said:

The HQ-10 missile looks like the type with 24 missiles and no relauncher.

I could be completely off here, but that looks to be two little hangars for S-100 size UAV? Also wondering if they are going to put any kind TAS on this ship in the future. It looks to have the space for it.

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Unfortunately the HHQ10 launcher is an even smaller 8 round version, 3+2+3 arrangement. Also I thought the two openings are UAV hangars too until I see the picture below which shows torpedo launchers inside the opening (with orange covers on), there won't be room for UAVs.

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I think the torpedo launchers are below the landing pad. The one being build next to it show an opening, like the 054A