If those 97 by 14 meter estimates are correct, we can sort of deduce its tonnage. Gowind 2500, for example, displaces 2600 t and is 102 m long and has a 16 m beam. But then Meko 100 corvettes are smaller, at 98 m long and 15 m across, and they displace between 2500 and 3000 t, depending on actual models, sensors and weaponry. So, right how, 2500 tons, give or take, seems plausible for this new ship.
It is strange indeed that a ship of this size does not have clear exhaust stack. Intakes could, I guess be simply hidden behind the sensor mast. I can't recall a design this big using waterline exhaust, though. Swedish Visby has it, is also very stealthy but that's a sub 700 t ship.
Plus, I would wager this ship's main role will be ASW warfare. As an OPV it doesn't make any sense. Why invest so much in stealth and why have a VLS if it's just an OPV? For air defense it's clearly too small and also trying to squeeze out a general purpose vessel, antiship missiles included, from such a hull is not productive. I seriously doubt this ship will feature antiship missiles.
But on the other hand, the vls may well be packed with rocket launched stand off torpedos. It may even have a few cells dedicated for anti air missiles, if the sensors allow it. Likely something new and compact then, more compact than HQ16.
If ASW role is prominent, then underwater or even near waterline exhaust is a liability, as it'd make the ship louder.
But if it doesn't have a hangar then we'd be seeing a more normal looking exhaust stack. The fact there is none, makes me believe there is a hangar in there, indispensable for ASW mission.
I guess that, in theory, exhaust could somehow be integrated into the mast, so we simply can't see it from this angle. Kind of like on Gowind 1000. But that design at least forked out the exhaust to left and right of the command bridge. I see many issues with exhaust smoke in practice if the exhaust is really just flush with the mast, at the back of it.
Then again, it's possible this is not a new class at all, but a sole test and demonstrator ship. To test a myriad of possible things. In which case most bets are off, design wise.
