The report notes that while the Type 054B’s armaments and other subsystems are still unknown, they will most likely include a 32-cell vertical launch system (VLS), a new type of active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), and a possible H/PJ-11 11-barrel 30 mm autocannon on the bridge like the Type 052D destroyer and Type 055 cruiser. Naval News reports that the Type 054B is a new warship that is wider and longer than its Type 054A predecessor, with an estimated length of 147 meters, a beam of 18 meters, a bulkier superstructure and a higher bridge with a 6,000-ton displacement. Naval News mentions that the Hudong and Huangpu shipyards also produce a modified Type 054A adapted for the China Coast Guard (CCG), designated Type 818, and continue work on a newer redesigned variant.
This month, Naval News reported that production of China’s new Type 054B frigates is now underway at Hudong in Shanghai and Huangpu Wenchong in Guangzhou, the same shipyards responsible for producing the Type 054A frigate, of which the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) operates 40 units. China’s massive naval shipbuilding program is gaining steam with the rapid construction of next-generation combatants, a building spree that promises to free up older warships for coast guard patrols in disputed maritime areas in the East and South China Seas.
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