054B/next generation frigate

enroger said:

With increased power for propulsion, 054B should have higher top speed. Does it means 054B has the speed and endurance to operate in a CBG where as 054A couldn't?

Though I am a tad bit disappointed if it doesn't have IEPS

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Both can to some degree, but being diesel units without any speed overmatch(the opposite is true) whatsoever - it won't be their forte.
Given how much Chinese fleet is imbalanced towards surface combatants (and still counting) - I doubt there will ever be a lack of 052D/055 units to fill the desired composition.

They can be put well out of the main formation as listening pickets, though. With Fujian will probably still be meh, but with Liaoning/Shandong can work out due to their launch maneuvers (i.e. speed of advance is lower than tactical speed).

antiterror13 said:

Also new electronics and radars would need more power and new diesel engines with 50% more power would need more space

I think 054B would get big boost in ASW which obviously need more space and power

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The engines are only 50% more powerful?

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If the displacement is going to be 50% more as well, there won't actually be that much spare power for an increased top speed, to keep up with a carrier for example.

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I notice that the Formidable-class frigates (also based on the La-Fayette hull) have the same arrangement with 4 diesel main propulsion units.

But they use diesels which are rated with 82% more power than the ones on the Type-054A

Type-054A: 5MW x4
Formidable: 9.1MW x4

The Formidable-class did not increase the size of the hull much. They increased engine power and kept the displacement roughly the same.
This means the ship has higher speed.

Another way you can increase speed in a ship is to streamline the hull. You make it longer and narrower. This increases speed but decreases the available space inside the hull. But in the Type 054B this was not done. They used the extra engine power to increase the available space without increasing top speed.

Unlike the US or France, China still does not operate nuclear carriers. So the idea you need all the surface combatants to sustain high speeds isn't as necessary I think. The Russians also decided to have a lower speed so they can have more space for weapons in the ship. This is evident in the Project 22380 for example. It is much slower than the ships it is meant to replace. But packs way more weapons in the hull.

I am fairly certain that we will see more heavily armed variants of Type 054B eventually.

antiterror13 said:

And this 054B will likely have the latest HQ-16 SAM which is HQ-16FE with 160kms range, significantly better than 40 to 70 kms range from previous HQ-16

The number VLS may be the same 32 but have different missiles, much better ones

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Isn't the HQ-16FE the export variant? They should have a better domestic variant.

doggydogdo said:

Isn't the HQ-16FE the export variant? They should have a better domestic variant.

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It would be the HHQ-16F then.

054B is equipped with z9, compared with 054A

From Huangpu shipyard. All images are high-resolution.