Type 022 missile boat

Drawing of Chinese Fast Attack Craft 2208 - Type-022 Houbei-Class
Class overview
Name	Type 022
Builders	Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Shanghai
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Komar-class missile boat [1] Type 021 missile boat [1]
Cost	Estimates vary from $14.5 million [2] over $40 million [3] up to $50 million per boat [4]
Built	2004–2009
In commission	2004–present
Completed	60 [5]
Active	60 (approx.) [6]
General characteristics
Displacement	224 long tons (228 t) full load [7]
Length	42.6 m (139 ft 9 in) [7]
Beam	12.2 m (40 ft 0 in) [7]
Draught	1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) [7]
Decks	1
Propulsion	2 x diesel engines generating 6,865 hp (5,119 kW) [7] 4 x Kamewae waterjet propulsors [7]
Speed	40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) [7]
Complement	12 [7]
Sensors & processing systems	Type 348 (LR66) surface search radar [7] Navigation radar (I band) [7] Optronic director [7]
Armament	8 x YJ-83 anti-ship missiles [7] 1 x FLS-1 MANPADS launcher 1 × 30 mm AK-630 CIWS [7]

The Type 022 (NATO designation: Houbei class) is a class of Chinese catamaran missile boat. It entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in 2004.

It is sometimes called the "Type 22". ^[8]

Development

In the 1980s, Chinese naval strategy shifted from coastal to offshore operations ("near-seas active defense"). By the late-1990s, the PLAN wanted fast attack craft with greater range and seakeeping. The Type 022 was likely a response to the requirement. In the early-2000s, China made an abortive attempt to purchase Tarantul-class corvettes from Russia. ^[1]

The Type 022 is based on AMD Marine Consulting's AMD 350 catamaran hull and developed further by Seabus International in Guangzhou; Seabus was a joint venture between AMD and China State Shipbuilding Corporation's Guangzhou Marine Engineering Corporation. ^{[9] [10]}

The prototype launched from Qiuxin Shipyard in Shanghai in April 2004. Production occurred from at least six shipyards ^[7] before ending in 2009. ^[5]

In October 2025, Janes reported that Indonesia planned to acquire the Type 022. ^[11]

Design

Type 022s in disruptive camouflage.

The Type 022 has a wave-piercing catamaran hull ^{[9] [10]} made of aluminium. ^{[9] [12]} The hull is reportedly manufactured using friction stir welding. ^[13] Radar cross section-reduction features are incorporated, ^{[14] [7]} including a stealthy turret for the AK-630. ^[10]

The boat only has line of sight sensors. Longer-range fire in coordination with other units is enabled by tactical data links. ^{[14] [15]}

According to a 2014 report from the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, the boat's speed and aluminium hull makes it difficult to attack with torpedoes with magnetic detonators. ^[16]

Later boats received a FLS-1 launcher on bridge for QW man-portable surface-to-air missile. ^[10]

Operational history

Type 022s in the PLAN typically deploy in squadrons of eight. ^[17] During exercises, they have fired coordinated missile salvoes using third-party targeting data. Their missions may include coastal defense, ISR, and supporting offensive operations outside territorial waters. ^[15]

See also

• Hamina-class missile boat
• Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat
• Skjold-class corvette

References

1. Patch 2014, p. 2.
2. "Information Dissemination: Janes Discusses Chinese Streetfighter". informationdissemination.net.
3. Axe, David (August 4, 2011). "China Builds Fleet of Small Warships While U.S. Drifts". Wired.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
4. "China's Project 022 Fast Attack Craft". defencetalk.com.
5. O'Rourke, Ronald (5 October 2023). China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities - Background and Issues for Congress (PDF) (Report). 272. Congressional Research Service. p. 7. RL33153. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
6. The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025, p. 243.
7. Saunders 2015, p. 151.
8. "HJB 394-2007 22型导弹快艇规范". 国家标准行业标准信息服务网. 2007-04-30. Archived from the original on 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
9. Lague, David (2012-06-01). "Insight - From a ferry, a Chinese fast-attack boat". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
10. Bussert, James C. (1 December 2007). "Catamarans Glide Through Chinese Waters". SIGNAL. AFCEA . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
11. Rahmat, Ridzwan (16 October 2025). "Indonesia seeks foreign loans for J-10 fighters, naval systems" . Jane's. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
12. Patch 2014, p. 10.
13. Delany, Fred; Kallee, Stephan W.; Russell, Mike J. (2007). "Friction Stir Welding of Aluminium Ships". The Welding Institute . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
14. Patch 2014, p. 4.
15. Patch 2014, p. 7.
16. Murray 2014, p. 29.
17. Sutton, H. I. (27 September 2021). "This is What a Chinese Stealth Warship Looks Like on Radar". USNI News .

Sources

• International Institute for Strategic Studies (2025). The Military Balance 2025. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-041-04967-8.
• Murray, William S. (2014). "Underwater TELs and China's Antisubmarine Warfare". China's Near Seas Combat Capabilities. CMSI Red Book. Vol. 11. China Maritime Studies Institute. ISBN   978-1-935352-16-7.
• Patch, John (2014). "Chinese Houbei Fast Attack Craft". China's Near Seas Combat Capabilities. CMSI Red Book. Vol. 11. China Maritime Studies Institute. ISBN   978-1-935352-16-7.
• Walton, Timothy A.; McGrath, Bryan (2014). "China's Surface Fleet Trajectory". China's Near Seas Combat Capabilities. CMSI Red Book. Vol. 11. China Maritime Studies Institute. ISBN   978-1-935352-16-7.
• Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. ISBN   978-0710631435.