FFG 054/054A Thread

[duskylim]

Dear Sirs:

Picture number 3 in TP's post is not a 054A frigate but (if I'm not mistaken) a DDG 168 class destroyer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just wanted to point it out.

Do you have the numbers of those vessels yet? Which fleet will they join? Is it true that up to 5 hulls or more have been laid down?

Regards,

Dusky Lim

 

[tphuang]

Dear Sirs:

Picture number 3 in TP's post is not a 054A frigate but (if I'm not mistaken) a DDG 168 class destroyer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just wanted to point it out.

Do you have the numbers of those vessels yet? Which fleet will they join? Is it true that up to 5 hulls or more have been laid down?

Regards,

Dusky Lim

I only see 2 pictures that I posted and they are both 054A. Unfortunately, seems like further 054As have not been seen under construction.

What kind of ships are these 054/054A frigates intended to replace?

why do they need to replace anything? They are part of China's new blue water navy.

 

[Londo Molari]

What kind of ships are these 054/054A frigates intended to replace?
They possess similar anti-surface firepower compared to the old 051s, while the AAW capabilities are significantly upgraded. This makes me wonder if these ships are the replacements. Afterall, the PLAN has just withdrawn the 105 and 106 from service within the last couple of months, which coincided with the latest 054A entering service.

The requirement for all surface combatants is always changing, and every ship must now have at least a decent level of AAW, ASW and AsuW capabilities. This makes the PLAN quite flexible and every ship is suitable for a wide variety of missions.

 

[duskylim]

Dear TP:

The pictures I was referring to was on post No. 854 on page 57. Sorry for the confusion, and the late post. Please keep posting the pics!

Regards,

Dusky Lim

 

[congson7465]

The truth is 054 was just a test platform, but 054a now will be the final version and i believe PLA navy will start to build more and more 054a or 054a-1/2/3 in the future!

 

[kw64]

The truth is 054 was just a test platform, but 054a now will be the final version and i believe PLA navy will start to build more and more 054a or 054a-1/2/3 in the future!

I think 054A will be some sort of experimentation for a new class of heavier frigate too. PLAN is trying to rapidly advance its equipment while saving money, so they're more likely to build its newer classes in small numbers as quickly move to the next generations of ships.

 

[tphuang]

Dear TP:

The pictures I was referring to was on post No. 854 on page 57. Sorry for the confusion, and the late post. Please keep posting the pics!

Regards,

Dusky Lim

very good catch, I didn't look carefully enough at the pictures before re-posting them.

 

[adeptitus]

The truth is 054 was just a test platform, but 054a now will be the final version and i believe PLA navy will start to build more and more 054a or 054a-1/2/3 in the future!

IMO the 054 was fitted with mature (but old) French technologies, bought or licensed in 1980s. Just as earlier frigate design may have benefited from German engineering (MEKO 200?), the 054 probably benefited from the French. There's a lot of controversy on how "La Fayette-ish" is the 054. IMO if you put the 2 ships side to side and compare its systems, there's just too many similarities to discount. Thus I don't think it's a "test" platform.

The 054A, on the other hand, is fitted with new guns, VL-SAM, sensors, etc. This is the first PLAN warship (other than testing platform) to be fitted with the new type of VL-SAM system. Assuming if they follow western-style progression, we might see multi-pack missiles in new VLS system in the future.

 

[zhouj]

IMO the 054 was fitted with mature (but old) French technologies, bought or licensed in 1980s. Just as earlier frigate design may have benefited from German engineering (MEKO 200?), the 054 probably benefited from the French. There's a lot of controversy on how "La Fayette-ish" is the 054. IMO if you put the 2 ships side to side and compare its systems, there's just too many similarities to discount. Thus I don't think it's a "test" platform.

The 054A, on the other hand, is fitted with new guns, VL-SAM, sensors, etc. This is the first PLAN warship (other than testing platform) to be fitted with the new type of VL-SAM system. Assuming if they follow western-style progression, we might see multi-pack missiles in new VLS system in the future.

There's a biological concept called convergent evolution. Two genetically unrelated organisms may have very similar structures because they fill similar niches; similarities between two ships does not necessitate they share the same pedigree as they may converge due to very similar roles or doctrine. On the other hand, the French are known to be quite active in aiding the PLA so it may bea combination of both.

 

[Londo Molari]

Yeah, the number and types of weapons carried may be similar, but so are those of many other ships. When I see the two ships, I don't see any visual similarities at all.