China naval steel order sparks speculation over bigger, faster frigate
- Is May delivery date of hull-grade materials to Guangzhou shipyard a signal work is about to start on first Type 054B vessel?
- On social media, military commentators say new warship will be like a mini destroyer
An open tender for super high-strength structural steel – the kind used in military hulls – was issued by the Huangpu Wenchong shipyard in Guangzhou, southern China, in March, with a delivery date of May 20.
It is unclear how many tonnes of the CCS-B structural steel plate were ordered by the shipyard, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
Several military commentators have taken to Chinese social media platforms to suggest the order could signal that work is about to begin on a bigger, faster multi-role update of the Type 054A, better suited to combat operations on the high seas.
Specifications for the new frigate have not been released but one post on microblogging site Weibo said the Type 054B “is actually a mini Type 055 destroyer”.
Other posts suggested the vessel could be up to 6,000 tonnes and powered by an integrated electric propulsion system, as used on the Type 003 aircraft carrier, which some expect to be launched in the autumn.