Chinese state television images suggest that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its latest Type 056 Jiangdao-class corvette in the week of 4 May.
Built at the Shanghai Hudong shipyard, Huangshi (pennant number 502) joined the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet following a ceremony likely to have taken place at the service’s Weihai maritime garrison.
The 90 m, 1,500-tonne displacement Type 056 vessels carry four containerised YJ-83 anti-ship missiles (with a 65 n mile range), one 76 mm main gun, and two triple-tube torpedo launchers. The flight deck enables operation of a Z-9C helicopter, though the absence of a hangar constrains sustained helicopter operations.
Huangshi is the 20th-in-class to be commissioned; it is also the fourth to be fitted with towed array and variable depth sonars, indicating a primary anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role.
At least four Type 056s are currently fitting out; a class of 30 or more is anticipated.
