Type 053H3 frigate

Jiaxing (521) underway in 2005
Class overview
Name	Type 053H3
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force  Bangladesh Navy
Preceded by	Type 053H2G
Succeeded by	Type 054
Subclasses	Zulfiquar class (Pakistan Navy)
Planned	10
Completed	10
Active	8 (PLAN Surface Force) 2 (Bangladesh Navy)
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	2,250 tons standard, 2,393 tons full load
Length	112 m (367 ft 5 in)
Beam	12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
Draught	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	CODAD, 2 shaft, 2 x 18E390VA diesel at 23,600 hp (17,600 kW) 2 x MTU diesel at 8,715 hp (6,499 kW)
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)[2]
Range	5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 15 to 16 knots (28 to 30 km/h)
Complement	168 (with 30 officers)
Sensors and processing systems	Type 360 Radar (SR60) surface search, E/F band Type 517H-1 (Knife Rest) 2D long-range air search, A-band Type 345 Radar (MR35) HQ-7 surface-to-air missile fire-control, J-band Type 352 Radar (Square Tie) surface search and SSM fire control, I-band Type 343GA (Wasp Head) fire control radar for main gun, G/H-band 2 × Type 347G/EFR-1 (Rice Lamp) dual 37 mm AA gun fire control, I-band 2 × Racal RM-1290 navigation radar, I-band
Electronic warfare & decoys	Data link: HN-900 (Chinese equivalent of Link 11A/B, to be upgraded) Communication: SNTI-240 SATCOM Combat Data System: ZKJ-3C RWD-8 (Jug Pair) intercept Type 981-3 EW Jammer SR-210 Radar warning receiver Type 651A IFF 2 × Type 946/PJ-46 15-barrel decoy rocket launchers
Armament	8 × YJ-83 SSM in 2 x 4-cell box launchers 1 × 8-cell HQ-7 surface-to-air missile system (replaced with 1 x 8-cell HQ-10 on PLA ships) 1 × PJ33A dual 100 mm gun (automatic) 4 × Type 76A dual 37 mm AA guns (replaced with 2 x Type 630 30mm guns on PLA ships) 2 × 6-tube Type 3200 ASW rocket launchers (36 rockets) 2 × DC racks & launcher[1]
Aircraft carried	Harbin Z-9C
Aviation facilities	Hangar

The Type 053H3 (NATO reporting name: Jiangwei II) is a class of Chinese frigates that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in the 1990s and 2000s. The class comprised ten vessels, all of which remain in active service except for two which have been sold to the Bangladesh Navy.^[3][4][5] They were a follow-on of the Type 053H2G (Jiangwei I) class. The Zulfiquar-class frigate used by the Pakistan Navy was based on the Type 053H3.^[6]

History

In the 1980s, the PLAN ordered Shanghai-based Hudong Shipyard (now Hudong–Zhonghua Shipyard) to build a replacement for the Type 053K air defence frigate. The new class was based on the Type 053H2 frigate and designated Type 053H2G. Development was carried out under Project 055.

The Type 053H2G was slightly larger than the Type 053H2, and equipped with HQ-61B surface-to-air missiles (SAM). However, the HQ-61 proved unsatisfactory and the class was quickly superseded by the Type 053H3 which was an improved Type 053H2G equipped with HQ-7 SAMs. The HQ-7 was a Chinese-produced version of the French R330 Sea Crotale. Ten Type 053H3s were produced between 1996 and 2005.

The most obvious visual distinction between Jiangwei I & II are: The Jiangwei II's have HQ-7 instead of HQ-61B SAMs, 8 C-802 anti-ship missiles instead of 6, and aft AAA mounts elevated compared to the Jiangwei I. The Jiangwei II class was briefly equipped with HQ-61B SAM system before being replaced by HQ-7 during upgrade, and some sources claim that the upgraded version is also called Type 057.

Transfers to Bangladesh

The earliest two units, Jiaxing and Lianyungang, were selected in 2020 for sale to Bangladesh. However, Putian was subsequently substituted for Jiaxing. Both ships were recommissioned in the Bangladesh Navy on 5 November 2020 and renamed as shown below.

Mid-life upgrade

A limited, mid-life upgrade was observed for the 053H3 starting in 2015. Visible difference include the replacement of the ESM/EW suite/radars to similar systems from the Type 054, replacement of the HQ-7 with the HHQ-10 short range air defense missile and replacement of the 4 × Type 76A 37 mm guns with a new 2 × Type 630 30 mm CIWS similar to the Gryazev-Shipunov AO-18K.^{[citation needed]}

Ships in class

See also

• List of naval ship classes in service

References

External links

Media related to Type 053H3 frigate at Wikimedia Commons

• Sino Defense Today

• v
• t
• e

Type 053 frigates

Type 053K Jiangdong class	Yingtan 532
Type 053H Jianghu-I class	Changde Shaoxing Nantong Wuxi Huai'an Zhenjiang Xiamen Changsha / Jiujiang Nanping Ji'an Changzhi Kaifeng Maoming Yibin
Type 053H1 Jianghu-II class	Ningbo / Taizhou Jinhua Dandong Linfen Shaoguan Anshun Shaotong Xiangtan Jishou
Type 053H1G Jianghu-V class	Zigong / Beihai Foshan Dongguan Shantou Jiangmen Zhaoqing
Type 053H1Q Jianghu-IV class	Siping / Lushun
Type 053H2 Jianghu-III class	Huangshi Wuhu Zhoushan / Changzhou
Type 053H2G Jiangwei-I class	Anqing Huainan Huaibei Tongling
Type 053H3 Jiangwei-II class	Jiaxing Lianyungang Putian Sanming Luoyang Mianyang Yichang Yulin / Sanya / Huludao Huaihua Xiangfan / Xiangyang

Other operators
China Coast Guard	Haijing 1002 (ex-Changde) Haijing 1003 (ex-Shaoxing)
Bangladesh Navy	Osman (ex-Xiangtan)
Egyptian Navy	Najim al-Zafir Al-Nasser
Myanmar Navy	Mahar Bandoola (ex-Jishou) Mahar Thiha Thura (ex-Anshun)
Royal Thai Navy Chao Phraya class	Chao Phraya Bangpakong Kraburi Saiburi

• Preceded by: Type 065 frigates
• Followed by: Type 054 frigates

• List of frigates of the People's Liberation Army Navy
• List of frigates of the Egyptian Navy
• List of frigates of the Royal Thai Navy