The Type 054A frigate is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates, the first of which entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2007. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate, using the same hull but with improved sensors and weapons. The Type 054A was first revealed while under construction at the Guangzhou-based Huangpu Shipyard in 2005.
Improvements over Type 054
The Type 054A carries HQ-16 medium-range air defence missiles and anti-submarine missiles in a vertical launching system system. The HQ-16 has a range of up to 50 km, with superior range and engagement angles to the Type 054's HQ-7. The Type 054A's VLS uses a hot launch method; a shared common exhaust system is sited between the two rows of rectangular launching tubes. The four AK-630close-in weapon systems of the Type 054 were replaced with two Type 730 CIWS on the Type 054A. The autonomous Type 730 provides improved reaction time against close-in threats. The Type 054A retains its predecessor's stealth features, including sloped hull design, radar absorbent materials, and a clean profile.
Type 054A+
An improved variant beginning with the 17th unit launched from Huangpu Shipyard in 2009 has the seven-barrelled Type 730 CIWS replaced by the more capable 11-barrelled Type 1130, and is unofficially referred as Type 54A+. Another reported improvement over the original Type 054A includes the incorporation of variable depth sonar and towed array sonar.
Operations
Type 054A frigate made its first operational deployment to the Gulf of Aden, when 570 Huangshan set sail as part of 2nd Escort Flotilla/Task Group 167 on 2 April 2009, the Escort Flotilla arrived there on 13 April 2009, and took over form 1st Escort Flotilla/Task Group 169 on 15 April 2009. Since then, 11 Type 054A have deployed to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations. In the lead-up to the Libyan civil war, 530 Xuzhou was deployed from anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden to help evacuate Chinese nationals from Libya. In January 2014, 546 Yancheng was redeployed from anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to escort Syrian chemical weaponsdestined for destruction.
Export
According to an estimate by The Diplomat, Type 054A frigates have a per-unit cost of US$348 million.
Pakistan
The Pakistan Navy ordered four Type 054As; the last two orders were announced on 1 June 2018. The ships are expected to enter service by 2021. The steel-cutting ceremony for the second Type 054A frigate for the Pakistan Navy was held in China on 19 December 2018, marking the beginning of construction of the vessel at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. On November 1, 2019, China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding held a steel cutting ceremony for the Pakistan Navy’s third and fourth Type 054A frigates. The induction of these vessels could significantly enhance the service’s anti-air warfare capabilities. The keel-laying ceremony for the second ship was held on March 23, 2019 at Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai.
