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WUHAN, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A new-type of frigate built for the Bangladesh Navy was launched in the riverside city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday.

The frigate, with a displacement of 1,300 tons and maximum speed of 25 knots, is 90 meters long and 11 meters across the beam. It can accommodate 80 crew.

It will be the most advanced frigate in the Bangladesh Navy, which will be a boost to its coastal defense capability and the China-Bangladesh friendship, said Rear Admiral Syed Abu Mansur Arshadul Abedin, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff at the launching ceremony.

The frigate can detect, identify and destroy surface and aerial targets and can also carry out maritime monitoring and patrols, and search and rescue missions, said Cai Libin, deputy general manager of the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co. Ltd, the builder of the frigate.

It is equipped with 76 mm and 30 mm naval guns as well as ship-to-ship and ship-to-air missiles.

Bangladesh has bought two frigates from China. The first was launched in November.

Photographs of two People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 054A (Jiangkai II) frigates being fitted out at Huangpu shipyard in Guangzhou province, China, strongly suggest that variable-depth sonars (VDSs) are being installed.

The images, published on the cjdby.net website, show a large aperture cut out of the transom and installation of mechanical handling gear on Type 054A hulls 19 & 20 (Pennant number 576, Huangshi and 577, Huanggang ). Huanggang was launched in July and the large aperture has been cut since then. Two much smaller apertures have also been cut, most likely for the deployment of a towed array and a towed decoy. Photographs of these being streamed by PLAN escorts have previously appeared online.

Images of Type 056 (Jiangdao class) corvette hull 17 (593, Suqian ) being launched at Shanghai Hudong shipyard in November 2013 showed a similarly modified transom. Subsequent images of that ship alongside and on trials show part of a VDS towed body, with internet sources suggesting that four Type 056 corvettes are being fitted with VDSs.

Installation of a VDS on the frigates after launch and before commissioning suggests not only that this is a late addition to the standard design, but also that the PLAN is confident in the sonar's performance and that its installation has been prioritised.

The frigates and Type 056 corvettes are not the first PLAN ships to be fitted with a VDS: a system was installed on the Type 052 (Luhu class) destroyers built in the early 1990s. Some sources suggest that a different sonar suite was installed in each of the two ships of the class: an Italian (US) DE-1163 in one and a French DUBV-43 in the other. These systems were removed when the ships were refitted in 2011.

No details have emerged of the operational characteristics of the VDS installed in the Type 056 corvettes but the partial images of the towed body suggest that it is not an exact copy of either a DE-1163 or a DUBV-43. It is likely that the Chinese will have undertaken extensive trials and analysis of any imported equipment and built a nominally indigenous system using the knowledge gained.

Both the Type 056 corvettes and the Type 054A frigates are already fitted with a bow-mounted sonar so the installation of VDS and towed arrays suggest that some platforms will be primarily anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

Although the 1,500-tonne Type 056 corvettes do not have a hanger, they have a flight deck from which an ASW-torpedo carrying Z-9 helicopter can operate, particularly in coastal waters. The addition of a VDS will significantly enhance their potential detection capability, specifically when compared to the smaller, rudimentary equipped submarine chasers they are replacing, such as the Type 037 (Hainan) class.

Previous reports have indicated that the vertical launch missile system installed in the Type 054A frigates may be capable of launching an anti-submarine rocket-type torpedo-carrying missile. The improved detection capability offered by a VDS and a torpedo-carrying missile, with a likely 20 km range, would significantly enhance the ASW capabilities of these ships.

Meanwhile, other photographs of one of the Type 054A frigates being fitted out at Huangpu shipyard show that an 11-barrelled 30 mm close-in weapon system (CIWS) that is has been installed in place of the seven-barrelled Type 730 mounting installed on the other Type 054A frigates.

China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned two Jiangdao-class (Type 056) guided-missile corvettes into its South China Sea fleet, according to PLA-sponsored news outlets.

Luzhou (592) and Qinyuan (589) were commissioned on 7 June and 11 June respectively. Luzhou was manufactured at Wuhan Shipyard in Hubei province while Qinyuan was built at the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou.

The 1,500 tonne full-load displacement vessels have a length of 90 m and a beam of 11 m. They can reach a top speed of 25 kt and attain a standard range of 6482 km (3,500 n miles) at 16 kt.

According to IHS Jane's Fighting Ships , class vessels carry an eight-cell launcher aft for FL-3000N short-range surface-to-air missiles, four launchers for C-802 surface-to-surface missiles, a 76 mm AK-176 main gun, and two 30 mm cannons.

While most Western military experts have focused their attention on the production of the Shenyang J-15, China's first carrier-based fighter, and the launch of larger surface combat vessels including two Type 054A frigates and one Type 052D destroyer, the official website of the People's Liberation Army Navy said that the Type 056 Jiangdao-class corvette is in fact the class of ship of which the nation produced the most in 2013.

The Beijing-based Sina Military Network said ten Type 056 Jiangdao-class corvettes had been launched this year to replace the older Type 037 submarine chasers. Mounted with two triple torpedo tubes, the Type 056 is designed to conduct anti-submarine operations within China's exclusive economic zone. Combined with SJG-206 low frequency towed array sonar, the Type 056 is capable of directing anti-submarine helicopters against enemy submarines.

Currently, the Type 056 incorporates a helipad at the stern for a light helicopter. The Sina Military Network stated that the Russian-built Kamov Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopter will be chosen to serve with the corvette in the near future. The Ka-28 helicopter is able to detect submarines at a depth of 500 meters and at running at speeds up to 75 kilometers per hour. However, only the Harbin Z-9E helicopter can be operated from the helipad of the Type 056 before the organic helicopter support facility is mounted aboard the vessel.

The Z-9E helicopter is unable to carry as much anti-submarine weaponry and equipment as the Ka-28, according to the website. The Ka-28 can be armed with one 533 millimeter homing torpedo, one torpedo rocket, ten PLAB 250-120 bombs and two OMAB-25-12D bombs. Unlike the Ka-28, which can detect enemy submarine with its own VGS-3 dipping sonar, the Z-9E cannot carry sonar and weapons simultaneously. For this reason, two helicopters, one for detecting and the other for striking must be dispatched for anti-submarine missions.

The Sina Military Network suggested that the V750 unmanned helicopter designed by Weifang Tianxiang Aerospace Industry Company may be a better choice to operate alongside the Z-9E aboard the Type 056 because the helipad cannot carry two manned helicopters. With a range of 500 km and a speed of 161 km/h, the V750 can increase the combat capability of the Type 56 by two in combination with the Z-9E. Since the V750 cannot carry 324 mm torpedoes due to its small size, and its primary mission is to locate enemy submarines.

Designed as a part of the PLA Navy's anti-submarine warfare system, Sina Military Network said Type 056 corvettes are not likely to be used in independent operations. Instead, they will be used with support from other vessels such as Type 054A frigates or other surface vessels. After the launch of the first Type 056 vessel in 2012, the Bangladesh Navy has already purchased two ships from China. The Royal Thai Navy and the Nigerian Navy are also potential buyers of the Type 056s.