Type 056 corvette


The Type 056 is a class of corvette deployed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. They replace older patrol craft and some of the Type 053H frigates. The first Type 056 entered service in February 2013. An anti-submarine warfare variant, commonly known as Type 056A, has also entered service. Following construction of the Aba in December 2019, China ceased building of Type 056 corvettes to focus on procuring bigger warships for high sea missions.
Two 1800 ton patrol variant, P18N has been delivered to Nigeria and four 1300 ton corvette variant has been sold to Bangladesh.

Description

The Type 056 corvette fills the capability gap between the Type 022 missile boat and the Type 054A frigate. It is 90 metres long, displaces 1500 tons, and incorporates anti-radar features. The Type 056 is suited for mid-range green-water missions and littoral duties, but not for major blue-water combat operations; it is built with a 15-day endurance for combat missions such as patrol, escort and protection of EEZ maritime interests within from the coast, freeing up larger warships for open ocean deployment. The Type 056 corvette has crew of 78 people with a top speed of, and a range of at, though some sources claim a range of at.
Surface armament is reported as an AK-176 76 mm naval gun, two 30 mm autocannons, and four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles. FL-3000N surface-to-air missiles are carried in a single eight-cell launcher. Finally, there are two triple-tube 324 mm torpedo launchers, which may carry Yu-7 light ASW torpedoes.
The basic Type 056 is equipped with Type 347G radar and bow-mounted sonar. The Type 056A adds towed array and variable depth sonars ; the towed body suggests the VDS is "not an exact copy" of either the Italian/US DE-1163 or the French DUBV-43. It is likely that the Chinese will have undertaken extensive trials and analysis of any imported equipment and built a nominally indigenous system using the knowledge gained.
The Type 056 has a helicopter deck for a Z-9-sized helicopter, but no hangar.

Development

The Type 056 hull may have been based on the Pattani-class offshore patrol vessels, which were built in China for Thailand from 2005 to 2006.
The first ship was launched by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in May 2012. In late 2012, corvettes were being produced by four Chinese shipyards.
The Type 056A were in production by late 2013. One of the first, 593 Sanmenxia, was launched in November 2013 with a modified hull to accommodate the added ASW gear.

China Coast Guard variant

A Type 056 variant for the China Coast Guard was under construction at Huangpu in late-2014. The forward superstructure was moved back to make for a raised structure ahead of the bridge. Large davits were installed ahead of the flight deck on both sides of the ships. It is not expected to be armed with the 76 mm. gun, missiles, or other weapon systems.

Variants

The P18 corvette is the export version of the Type 056. The P18 is advertised as displacing 1,800 tons, with a length and a beam; the power plant is two MTU 20V 4000M diesel engines, for a maximum speed of ; armament may include a 76 mm. gun, two 30 mm. cannon, up to eight anti-ship missiles, and two triple torpedo launchers; a medium-sized helicopter may be carried.
In 2014, the P18 was reportedly considered by Kazakhstan to fill a requirement for up to nine ships.
In late 2014, Argentina reportedly agreed to purchase five P18s, two to be built in China, and the remainder to be co-produced in Argentina. The ships would be called the Malvinas class, and have towed array sonar and an enlarged landing deck to handle Sea King helicopters. Each ship may cost.

Bangladesh

The C13B corvette is the surface warfare corvette variant of the Type 056 corvette for the Bangladesh Navy. The corvettes displace 1,330 tons and are in length. It is armed with a H/PJ-26 76 mm gun, C-802A anti-ship missiles, FL-3000N SAMs and two H/PJ-17 30mm remote controlled gun turrets. The C13B lacks sonar and ASW weapons. Like the Type 056, there is a helicopter pad but no hangar. The corvette has a reported speed of.
The first batch of two corvettes was ordered from Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan, reportedly in October 2012. The ships were laid down on 8 January 2013. Shadhinota, the lead ship, was launched on 30 November 2014. The second ship, Prottoy was launched on 30 December 2014. Shadhinota and Prottoy were commissioned on 19 March 2016.
The second batch of two corvettes was ordered on 21 July 2015 to China. Construction of the ships began on 9 August 2016. The third ship of the class, Shongram, was launched on 12 February 2018. The fourth ship of the class, Prottasha was launched on 8 April 2018. The Bangladesh Navy has received the final two Shongram and Prottasha corvettes. The corvettes were handed over to the service on 28 March and arrived at the naval base in Chittagong on 27 April 2019, said ISPR. According to Jane's 360, the latest two appear to be equipped with a more advanced phased-array radar unlike the first two ships of the class.

Nigeria

The P18N offshore patrol vessel is the variant operated by the Nigerian Navy. The P18N displaces 1,800 tons, is long, has an endurance of 20 days, a maximum speed of and a range of at. It has a crew of 75. Armament is reportedly a single NG-16-1 76 mm gun with a TR47 fire-control radar, two 30 mm guns, and two 20 mm guns. The class has an Oil Support Recovery System to combat oil spills. Unlike the Type 056, the P18N has a helicopter hangar.
Nigeria ordered two P18Ns from CSOC in April 2012 for each. The first was slated to be completed in China, with the final 50–70% of the second being completed at the Nigerian Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt; CSOC was contracted to upgrade the shipyard to facilitate this.
NNS Centenary, the first P18N, was built at the Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan. It was launched January 2014 and completed trials in October 2014. Centenary left China in December 2014 and arrived in Lagos, Nigeria in February 2015; it was commissioned the same month. Delivery was originally expected in mid-2014.
The second OPV, NNS Unity, was reported in February 2015 to be undergoing outfitting at Wuchang, and was expected to be delivered in 2015. Nigeria had originally expected to receive it in mid-2014 for completion at Port Harcourt. The ship was delivered on 4 November 2016 to the Nigerian Navy in Lagos. NNS Unity was commissioned on 15 December 2016. In January 2017 the vessel was deployed to The Gambia in a "show of strength" as part of an ECOWAS sponsored intervention in the 2016–17 Gambian constitutional crisis.

Ships in class

Pennant NumberNameBuilderLaunchedCommissionedStatus
F111ShadhinotaWuchang30 November 201411 December 2015Active
F112ProttoyWuchang30 December 201411 December 2015Active
F113ShongramWuchang12 February 201818 June 2020Active
F114ProttashaWuchang8 April 2018Sea trial

Pennant NumberNameBuilderLaunchedCommissionedStatus
F91CentenaryWuchangJanuary 2014February 2015Active
F92UnityWuchang29 November 201415 December 2016Active

Comparable ships

Ships of comparable role and size: