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| Chinese Type 056 Corvette (File Photo) |
Last August the Chinese Navy received its first Type 056 corvette. After extensive testing at sea, this ship (hull number 582) entered service on February 24th. There are at least twenty more 056s under construction and 4-5 more will enter service this year. These ships appear to be playing a crucial role in Chinese efforts to seize control of the South China Sea.
The Type 056s are 1,400 ton ships armed with four C-903 anti-ship missiles (200 kilometers range), a FL-3000N anti-aircraft missile (nine kilometers range) launcher (with eight missiles), two 30mm remotely controlled autocannon and one 76mm gun. The ship has air and sea search radars plus a helicopter platform in the rear and will be used mainly for coastal patrol. The ship is highly automated and has a crew of only 60.
Read the full story at Strategy Page