Hello everyone, let’s talk about the Type 054B, the future frigate of the Chinese Navy. Recently, a lot of new insights has been shared around the defence community, based on pieces of information from semi-official sources, and alleged insider knowledge. For many European countries, the frigate is seen as a frontline combatant. But for the Chinese Navy, which has a large number of powerful frontline destroyers, the frigate plays a support role in a naval taskforce, especially as anti-submarine escort and medium-range air defence. They can operate individually, but should only do so in medium to low intensity conflicts.
This video is a comprehensive overview of all the information available about the Type 054B. The PLA Navy already possesses a vast frigate fleet, most of which are the Type 054A. Around 30 Type 054A frigates are already in service, with many more hulls entering service in the years to come. The Type 054A is not old by any means, first commissioned in 2008,
and the more recent ships have been updated especially in their sonar suite. But the Type 054A suffers from certain obvious weaknesses, which limit their usefulness as a general-purpose frigate. For example, the HQ-16 anti-air missile is becoming quite old, and the main radar the Type 382, which is heavily inspired by the Russian Fregat radar, needs an update, preferably to an active electronically scanned array. Most crucially in the realm of anti-submarine warfare, the Type 054A is not quite fast enough to keep up with the maximum speed of an aircraft carrier, and it has to slow down a lot to use its towed array sonar. We will focus on what’s actually changed on the Type 054B from the 054A, and show how each particular improvement addresses a specific problem with its predecessor.
So, here’s the latest timeframe for the construction of the Type 054B. According to alleged Chinese insiders, the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou purchased military-grade steel in March this year, and steel-cutting for the Type 054B took place in May. If this is true, the building of individual modules for the ship has already begun, but this will be done indoors inside fabrication halls, and away from the prying eyes of satellites. We won’t actually be able to see the ship being built until the modules are moved to a drydock for final assembly. Allegedly, the first ship may be launched at the end of 2023.
Overall displacement is claimed to be slightly above 5,000 tons, which is 1,000 tons more than the Type 054A. This is entirely consistent with the expectations of the PLA watching community up to this point, although some people had expected even bigger. The increase in displacement is necessary to accommodate a long list of new features, and to allow further modernisation in the future. Let’s talk about the vertical launching system – the VLS – of the Type 054B. The Chinese Navy can either go with the H/AJK-16 VLS, which is used on the Type 054A, or go with the universal VLS standard on the modern Chinese Navy destroyers, the Type 052D and 055. Which type of VLS chosen will naturally be dictated by the
desired missile armament for the Type 054B. If it uses the old H/AJK-16 VLS, then it can only use the HQ-16 medium range air defence missiles as its primary air warfare weapon. The HQ-16 has several drawbacks – it is only for medium range, either 50 km for the HQ-16A or 70 km for the HQ-16B; it still relies on semi-active radar homing, which is more susceptible to jamming than active radar homing; lastly, the HQ-16 cannot be quad-packed, because it is too big, and this limits the overall firepower. Clearly, the Type 054B needs something better, and therefore there is widespread expectation that universal VLS will be used, which can carry long-range anti-air missiles and a newly-introduced quad-packed medium-range SAM. To complicate matters further, there are two types of
universal VLS in the Chinese Navy to choose from. One system can accommodate missiles up to 7 metres in length, and the other system up to 9 metres in length. Note these are not the actual length of the VLS, but only the missile length the cells can accommodate. The overall length of the VLS will be even greater, owing to the need for an exhaust vent, among other things. The truth is we don’t actually have any reliable information on whether the 7-metre or the 9-metre version will be chosen. I personally think it is more likely to be the 7 metre one. The main
advantage of the 9-metre version is to carry the YJ-18 anti-ship missile, but the PLA Navy do not consider its frigates as anti-ship platforms for the most part, so the YJ-18 is not really needed. To incorporate the 9-metre VLS, the Type 054B will most likely need to have a raised bow deck, which is expensive. So, in my view, the Type 054B will use a 7-metre universal VLS with 32 cells. In terms of the missile loadout, the Type 054B will use a combination of the new quad-packed medium-range SAM, and the HQ-9B long-range SAM, for air warfare purposes. The quad-packed SAM has already entered service on the Type 055 destroyer, so it will most likely be used on the Type 054B as well. It has a range of 50 km, with a terminal velocity of Mach 5. It is guided by active radar homing, which is more reliable against jamming and spoofing than the semi-active radar guidance of the HQ-16.
The fact it can be quad-packed essentially is a massive boost to the ship’s firepower, and frees up more cells to carry other weapons. The Type 054B will also carry some HQ-9B long-range SAM. Their main purpose is to target enemy aircraft, especially their surveillance and reconnaissance planes, and to deter or disrupt them from carrying out their mission. The HQ-9B will also deter combat aircrafts from coming in too close to use more deadly weapons, for example guided bombs. This aircraft deterrence capability is very much missing on the Type 054A,
whose medium range anti-air is suitable only for missile interception, and not for shooting back at the attackers. Of course, when the Type 054B is operating as part of a larger taskforce, this long-range anti-air is arguably not needed, because destroyers will be there to do the job. However, the Type 054B is also envisaged to operate individually or lead small taskforces in medium-to-low intensity combat, and for these purposes the long-range air defence will be necessary. A sensible VLS loadout would be something like 64 quad-packed SAMs inside 16 cells, 8 HQ-9B long-range SAMs, and 8 more Yu-8 anti-submarine missiles. In terms of anti-ship
missiles, the Type 054B will probably just use the deck-mounted launchers for the YJ-12 cruise missile, or even retain the YJ-83 subsonic cruise missile. These are less powerful than the YJ-18, but the Type 054B is focused on air warfare and anti-submarine warfare. Therefore, it would be convenient to use slanted deck-mounted launchers for anti-ship missiles, like the YJ-12, which would allow the room below the deck to be used for other purposes, which obviously cannot happen if the VLS-launched YJ-18 is used. Unrelated to the VLS, the Type 054B will use a 100 mm naval gun, a step-up in calibre from the 76 mm on the Type 054A. Compared to the 76 mm gun,
the 100 mm should be a more powerful coastal bombardment weapon, with a greater range that can hit land targets while staying out of range of the return fire from land-based guns. The 100 mm will also be more destructive against enemy warships at close range, should it come to that. The trade-off is that the 100 mm will be less effective at engaging air targets, for example slow missiles, due to a slower rate of fire compared to the 76 mm. By the way, if you enjoyed our video so far, please press the like button.
The main search radar will be a twin-faced AESA radar mounted on top of an integrated mast. On the 29 October 2021, the Huangpu Shipyard reportedly tendered for a conformal radar mast with high transmittance for radio waves – this is reminiscent of the conformal radar mast on the Japanese Mogami class. The actual AESA radar will likely be S-band, which is tailored to long-range volume search. Here is a photo of the weapon trial ship 892, which is frequently used to test new technology for PLA Navy frigates. According to credible Chinese insiders, the twin-faced rotating radar you see mounted on the trial ship will be the AESA radar for the Type 054B. The integrated mast on which the radar is mounted will help to strengthen
the stealth capability of the ship compared to the Type 054A’s conventional radar mast. It is uncertain whether the AESA radar will be enclosed inside a radome, which would further enhance stealth capability, or if it will be exposed. So, why would we use a dual-sided rotating AESA? Why not use the radar outfit on the Chinese destroyers, where the AESA arrays are fixed into the superstructure in four individual faces? One reason is cost. For the same number of modules inside an array, two faces are much cheaper than four.
So, to get the same quality of radar resolution, four faces are literally twice as expensive as two, to say nothing of the additional equipment needed for powering and cooling purposes. Secondly, with only two faces, the radar can be quite light, which means it can be placed much higher, for example at the very top of the mast. Radars generally rely on line of sight, so being placed higher means it can see further. The twin-faced rotating AESA should have a longer radar horizon than the four-faced radar in Chinese destroyers, as the latter is mounted lower in the superstructure. This means the Type 054B will receive ample advanced warning of low-flying anti-ship missiles. Of course, the trade-off from having only two faces is that you don’t have 360-degree simultaneous coverage, like in the case of four faces. But we know the twin-faced
AESA is able to rotate really fast if required, which would help to achieve a high refresh rate and low latency, even if simultaneous coverage is not strictly possible. On the other hand, the rotation can also be slowed down to put longer dwell time on a target, which is important for example in the case of stealth aircrafts. Basically, the two-sided AESA radar is a suitable balance between cost and capabilities for the Type 054B, and in any case is a huge improvement from the Type 382 radar of the Type 054A. The new radar should also be able to guide the HQ-9B
long-range missile within a maximum range of 200 to 300 km via a datalink, and bring the HQ-9B to within close proximity of the target, where its own active radar seeker can take over. The use of an integrated mast will be hugely beneficial to stealth capability. The Type 054B may also have a secondary AESA radar mounted on a second radar mast.
If this happens, it will be in the X-band. The second radar would be a replacement for the Type 364 low-altitude radar, which is a high frequency radar suitable for tracking low-flying targets at close range. This X-band AESA would essentially perform the same function, but at a more capable level. It remains uncertain whether it will be installed – the main factor will be cost. The final area of improvement for the Type 054B will be in the propulsion system – the use of integrated electric propulsion, which will be hugely beneficial to anti-submarine capabilities. The predecessor, the Type 054A, is designed partly as anti-submarine escort. However, the Type 054A at 27 knots is too slow to keep up with an aircraft carrier at maximum speed, which limits the safe sprinting speed of a carrier-based taskforce. I need to emphasise
that normally, there would be little need for a carrier group to travel above 27 knots, but one needs to retain the flexibility to get to places quickly in an emergency while also protecting the carrier from submarines. Perhaps more importantly, the Type 054A has to slow down drastically when it uses its passive sonar. I don’t have the exact numbers, but when the Type 054A listens using its towed array sonar, it travels very slowly. This is because, at anything above slow speed, its diesel engines produce loud low-frequency noise, which is difficult to cancel. This noise interferes with the ability of the passive sonar to listen for submarines.
The integrated electric propulsion, widely expected on the Type 054B, will fix these problems to a large extent. The Type 054B should be able to go above 30 knots, thus keeping up with the speed of an aircraft carrier. This requires a 50 percent increase in power output from the Type 054A. The general rule of thumb is that the required power output is equal to the desired speed to the power of three. This means that for the Type 054B to achieve 31 knots, it needs 30 megawatts of engine power, a 50 percent increase from the 20 megawatts of the 054A. To achieve this, the Type 054B should be using gas turbine generators to power its
integrated electric propulsion. Gas turbines are more space-efficient compared to diesel for the same amount of energy output, so they are more energy-dense. For a surface combatant, where space comes at a premium, gas turbines are generally a good way to achieve high top speed.
This would allow the Type 054B to achieve the required power without a huge increase in tonnage. Moreover, in an integrated electric propulsion, there is basically complete freedom in how you place the key components, like the power generators. So, the relatively noisy components, like the gas turbines for example, can be positioned away from the stern or the bulbous bow, which would reduce the noise level in these areas. This means the ship’s motor can be much quieter, and would not interfere with the sonars as much compared to a conventional propulsion.
This would allow the passive sonars, including the towed array sonar, to be used at a higher speed compared to the Type 054A, in turn permitting the carrier group to travel at a faster speed while also staying protected against submarines. In short, an integrated electric propulsion is key to the Type 054B’s anti-submarine capabilities. The final anti-submarine improvement should be a slight lengthening of the helipad and possibly the hangar, to accommodate a single Z-20 anti-submarine helicopter, which is the PLA Navy’s newest medium-sized ASW helo, and much more capable compared to the Harbin Z-9C used by the Type 054A. Compared to the Z-9C, the Z-20 should have a much greater range, a more sustained flight endurance, and a larger payload of sonobuoys and torpedoes. It also has a much larger surface search radar, giving the Type 054B improved engagement capability beyond the horizon. So, to sum up, the Type 054B will be a much more capable anti-submarine escort than the Type 054A.
In summary, the Type 054B will improve from the existing Type 054A frigate in practically all respects, especially in terms of air warfare and anti-submarine escort capabilities. These are the primary roles I believe the PLA Navy intends its frigates to fulfil, as well as keeping down the overall expense, so these ships can be mass produced. The main changes are as follows. The Type 054B should feature universal VLS, giving it long range anti-air capability to disrupt the missions of enemy aircrafts, in addition to the interception of cruise missiles. In terms of sensors, it will have a twin-faced rotating radar, which will complete the long-overdue transition to AESA radar technology for Chinese frigates.
The radars and electronic support systems will be mounted either on or within an integrated mast, boosting stealth capabilities. Lastly, the Type 054B will be a very capable anti-submarine escort, capable of keeping up with aircraft carriers, and better placed to listen for submarines using passive sonars, thanks its integrated electric propulsion, as well as integrating China’s latest Z-20 anti-submarine helo. Anyway, I ‘ve talked for long enough, so I will stop now. Do you agree with my view on what the Type 054B entails? Based on what you’ve seen, is there anything missing from this assessment? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks for listening to my ramble.
2022-09-10