Type 053H3 frigate

300px PLAN 053H3 (Jiangwei II) frigate 521 Jiaxing
Class overview
Name:	Type 053H3
Operators:	People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force
Preceded by:	Type 053H2G
Succeeded by:	Type 054
Planned:	10
Completed:	10
Active:	10
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)
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 and 100 mm gun fire-control, J-band Type 352 Radar (Square Tie) surface search and SSM fire control, I-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
Armament:	8 × YJ-83 SSM in 2 x 4-cell box launchers 1 × 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile system 1 × PJ33A dual 100 mm gun (automatic) 4 × Type 76A dual 37 mm (1.5 in) AA guns 2 × 6-tube Type 3200 ASW rocket launchers (36 rockets) 2 × DC racks & launcher 6 × torpedo launchers 2 × Type 946/PJ-46 15-barrel decoy rocket launchers
Aircraft carried:	Harbin Z-9C
Aviation facilities:	Hangar

The Type 053H3 (NATO codename Jiangwei II) were Chinese frigates that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in the 1990s and 2000s. The class comprised 10 vessels, all of which remain in active service. 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.

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.

Ships in class

Number	Pennant Number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
1	522	连云港 / Lianyungang	Hudong	October 1997	January 1998	East Sea Fleet	Active.
2	521	嘉兴 / Jiaxing	Hudong	June 1998	June 1999	East Sea Fleet	Active.
3	523	蒲田 / Putian	Hudong		December 1999	East Sea Fleet	Active.
4	564	宜昌 / Yichang	Guangzhou		December 1999	South Sea Fleet	Active.
5	565	葫芦岛/ Huludao	Guangzhou		July 2000	South Sea Fleet	Active. Ex-Yulin, Renamed to Sanya in 2008, then changed to current name in April 2013 and transferred to North Sea Fleet.
6	524	三明 / Sanming		December 1998	December 2000	East Sea Fleet	Active.
7	567	襄阳 / Xiangyang	Guangzhou		May 2002	South Sea Fleet	Active. Ex-Xiangfan, Renamed in June 2011.
8	566	怀化 / Huaihua	Guangzhou		June 2002	South Sea Fleet	Active.
9	527	洛阳 / Luoyang	Hudong	August 2004	September 2005	North Sea Fleet	Active.
10	528	绵阳 / Mianyang	Huangpu	May 2004	April 2005	North Sea Fleet	Active.

External links

• Sino Defense Today