All at sea - China's navy develops fast attack craft

When analysing China's naval development, international media naturally focus on the headline-grabbing platforms. The potential for an aircraft carrier and the Type 094 ballistic missile submarine garner the most attention.

While eye-catching, these stories are an inadequate reflection of China's actual military capabilities. Of more importance to the People's Liberation Army are the lower-profile projects that will be used in day-to-day operations.

To this end, the Type 022 (Houbei-class) guided-missile fast attack craft (FAC) is one of the most significant recent developments of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

The FAC is perhaps the primary platform to be used in the asymmetrical warfare that China could expect to fight in the medium term, and is the only naval modernisation project that has achieved large-scale production. Moreover, the most likely role of the Type 022 is for active defence of China's 'near seas', representing the country's attempts to gain greater sea control further from its landmass.