Type 22 missile boat

Last updated
Type 22 PLAN FAC.svg
Class overview
NameType 22
Builders Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, Shanghai
OperatorsNaval ensign of China.svg  People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by Type 037-II-class missile boat & C 14-class missile boat
CostEstimates vary from $14.5 million [1] over $40 million [2] up to $50 million per boat [3]
Built2004–present
In commission2004–present
Completed82
Active82
General characteristics
Displacement220 long tons (224 t) full load
Length42.6 m (139 ft 9 in)
Beam12.2 m (40 ft 0 in)
Draught1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Decks1
Propulsion2 diesel engines @ 6,865 hp (5,119 kW) with 4 waterjet propulsors by MARI
Speed42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph)
Complement12 [4]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Surface search radar: 1 Type 362
  • Navigational radar: 1
  • Electro-optics: HEOS 300
Armament
NotesDetails remain speculative

The Type 22 (NATO designation: Houbei class) [5] missile boat is a ship class in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The first boat was launched in April 2004 by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard at Shanghai. The boats incorporate stealth features and are based on Australian-designed wave-piercing catamaran hulls that are more stable than other fast missile craft in high sea conditions. [6] 82 of these missile boats are currently in service with three flotillas having been produced over a span of seven years, [2] operating in squadrons of eight vessels each. [7]

Contents

Design

The Type 22 fast attack craft are China's entry into a growing list of missile-armed attack craft which include Finland's Hamina class missile boat, and Norway's Skjold class patrol boat. The wave-piercing catamaran design may mean as much as a 50% reduction in vessel speed penalty in high sea conditions (in which monohulls may only perform at half or less of their maximum capability). Further, seasickness and disorientation is significantly reduced, improving the combat readiness/situational awareness of the small-craft operators during such conditions.

The polygonal-designed superstructure with its similarly angled gun mount indicates a reduced radar cross-section, but built out of aluminium rather than composites. The Type 22 has an advanced C4 datalink [4] that may represent some kind of capability to allow AWACS planes or other ships to vector the Type 22's missiles. The aluminium hull is reported to use friction stir welding. [8]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Information Dissemination: Janes Discusses Chinese Streetfighter". informationdissemination.net.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ "China's Project 022 Fast Attack Craft". defencetalk.com.
  4. 1 2 Catamarans Glide Through Chinese Waters
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ "China's Houbei class fast-speed missile boats". China Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  7. ↑ This is What a Chinese Stealth Warship Looks Like on Radar. USNI News . 27 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Fred Delany, Stephan W Kallee, Mike J Russell: Friction Stir Welding of Aluminium Ships, Paper presented at 2007 International Forum on Welding Technologies in the Shipping Industry (IFWT). Held in conjunction with the Beijing Essen Welding and Cutting Fair in Shanghai, 16–19 June 2007.
Sources
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