China confirms new guided-missile frigate is being developed
- Defence ministry responds to speculation on Chinese social media that first Type 054B warship has been launched
- Photos circulating online suggest the new vessel is a bigger, more advanced version of the Type 054A
The ministry was responding to speculation on Chinese social media that the first Type 054B warship has been launched.
Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian on Thursday said it was “a normal arrangement based on the needs of national security and the overall development of naval construction, with the aim of defending national sovereignty, security and development interests and better safeguarding world and regional peace and stability”.
Photos circulating online show a bigger, more advanced version of a navy warship in service, the Type 054A.
The new vessel was seen at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding docks last week, apparently ready to be launched, in a photo posted on the Sina Weibo microblogging site. The Shanghai shipyard is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
Other photos posted by military enthusiasts suggest a second Type 054B appears to be nearing completion at the Huangpu-Wenchong Shipyard in Guangzhou, another CSSC subsidiary. They show the hull of the frigate being rolled out from a dry dock, meaning it could be ready to launch.