056 class FFL/corvette

Roger604 said:

It appears to be in the same class as the Russian Tarantul. Having a helicopter is an advantage, but is 4 anti-ship missiles enough? Would it be possible to put in 4 more just in front of the helicopter landing pad?

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You have to think what this ship is designed for. I would be okay if it has no ashm. I would like to see 2 ak630 in the front to help with air defense. As long as the helicopter pad can land z9c and has a hanger that can hold uav helicopter like k130, that would be good. Also, I think it should definitely have tas and possibly torpedo launchers since its focus is in asw.

^ How do we know its primary duty is ASW and not ASuW?

Roger604 said:

^ How do we know its primary duty is ASW and not ASuW?

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because they built like 100 022s and every single surface combatants in PLAN are loaded with YJ-83s and they have several regiments of JH-7As. On top of that, there are numerous OPVs in this class that emphasize ASW. We know PLAN is extremely weak in ASW. I personally have been waiting for a ship of this class to come out for a long time.

tphuang said:

because they built like 100 022s and every single surface combatants in PLAN are loaded with YJ-83s and they have several regiments of JH-7As. On top of that, there are numerous OPVs in this class that emphasize ASW. We know PLAN is extremely weak in ASW. I personally have been waiting for a ship of this class to come out for a long time.

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Tphuang, in your opinion would this 056 class be capable of blue water operations (using 054A as a benchmark)? The Thai, chinese built OPVs are being sent to Aden so hopefully 056 would be comparable.

Having a couple of these in any battlegroup taking the ASW burden would be quite useful; apart from 054A I don't think any other PLAN ship has TAS.

tphuang said:

because they built like 100 022s and every single surface combatants in PLAN are loaded with YJ-83s and they have several regiments of JH-7As. On top of that, there are numerous OPVs in this class that emphasize ASW. We know PLAN is extremely weak in ASW. I personally have been waiting for a ship of this class to come out for a long time.

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That makes sense. Do you think PLAN will build a helicopter carrier for ASW like the Hyuga or Dokdo class?

The model apparently does not have torpedo tubes. I don't see any ASROC either. Why these deficiencies for an ASW vessel or is the model simply not precise?

Roger604 said:

That makes sense. Do you think PLAN will build a helicopter carrier for ASW like the Hyuga or Dokdo class?

The model apparently does not have torpedo tubes. I don't see any ASROC either. Why these deficiencies for an ASW vessel or is the model simply not precise?

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If what learned on the 054A frigates applied here, the torpedo tubes could be installed within the main superstructure.

But I'd think the model ain't meant to be an accurate depiction of the actual ship, more like an overall impression, in a year or 2 we'll see the real deal, I think.

Bltizo said:

Tphuang, in your opinion would this 056 class be capable of blue water operations (using 054A as a benchmark)? The Thai, chinese built OPVs are being sent to Aden so hopefully 056 would be comparable.

Having a couple of these in any battlegroup taking the ASW burden would be quite useful; apart from 054A I don't think any other PLAN ship has TAS.

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I doubt it. The role of 056 will most likely be within the first island chain. They seemed to have decided that 054A class is perfect for the Aden missions.

I believe 052B/C should both have TAS. The holes that you see on the end of 054A that provide TAS also exist on 052B/C.

Roger604 said:

That makes sense. Do you think PLAN will build a helicopter carrier for ASW like the Hyuga or Dokdo class?

The model apparently does not have torpedo tubes. I don't see any ASROC either. Why these deficiencies for an ASW vessel or is the model simply not precise?

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they have plans for helo carriers, but I'm not sure how they plan to use it.

The ships themselves don't need to carry torpedoes, but I think they will. helicopters and submarines could use the acoustic data of 056 to track down and attack submarines. Also remember that sonars could be used for targeting in ASuW. And finally, I don't think ASROC is limited to VLS. If the past claim that 054A can launch rocket launched torpedoes is true, then it would pretty much have to be through something similar to the AShM launchers.

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Are those 20mm cannons in front of the zodiac rubber boats? They are not present on the other renderings.

Bltizo said:

Tphuang, in your opinion would this 056 class be capable of blue water operations (using 054A as a benchmark)? The Thai, chinese built OPVs are being sent to Aden so hopefully 056 would be comparable.

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In fairness, the Gulf of Aden is fairly sheltered water, so comparing the Gulf of Aden to blue water open ocean is like comparing apples to oranges. Once you get out into the unsheltered open ocean, everything changes.

This boat's lack of hangar facilities significantly limits its potential ASW capabilities as it will always be nothing more than a temporary stop for a helo that has to be based on another ship. I'll not be convinced this class is meant primarily for ASW unless we start seeing CY-series anti-sub missiles coming out of those slanted launchers instead of AShM's, portholes for TAS in the back, and large bow domes for sonar in the front.