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| Type 056 Corvette's (File Photo) |
By Ankit Panda
China’s Type 056A frigate fills an important gap in the PLAN’s abilities: anti-submarine warfare.
According to a report earlier this week by IHS Jane’s 360, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned its first Type 056-variant Jingdao-class corvette (Type 056A) with an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) specialization. The Type 056 corvettes entered service in the PLAN in 2012 and are stealth missile corvettes. They primarily specialize in anti-surface ship warfare. Although rumors of an ASW-focused Type 056-variant have been around for at least a year, Jane‘s cites a ” PLA-linked media report on 11 November” as noting that a vessel named the Zhuzhou has been inducted into the PLAN’s South Sea fleet as the 18th Jingdao-class corvette, and is the first with ASW capabilities.
Despite a bid (to) modernize its navy and develop expeditionary capabilities, anti-submarine warfare has long been the Achilles heel of the PLAN. In fact, the PLAN’s dearth of ASW capabilities has been so notable that rival regional navies, including Vietnam and Japan, have made investments in either acquiring or developing submarines to counter China. Notably, Vietnam, which was locked in a conflict with Beijing over the positioning of a Chinese oil rig in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), is adding six advanced Kilo-class Russian submarines to better police its waters and deter Chinese aggression. Instead of making ASW a priority, the PLAN has directed the bulk of its modernization effort toward anti-ship and anti-air warfare platforms.
Read the full story at The Diplomat