Type 909 weapon trials ship

Class overview
Builders	Zhongua Shipyard Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Built	1997 - 2014
Completed	4
Active	4
General characteristics
Type	Oceanographic research ships Weapon trial ships
Displacement	6,096 tonnes (full) [1]
Length	130 m (426 ft 6 in) [1]
Beam	17.5 m (57 ft 5 in) [1]
Draught	7 m (23 ft 0 in) [1]
Propulsion	2 diesel engines [1] 2 shafts [1]
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) [1]
Complement	80 [1]
Aircraft carried	1 medium helicopter (891) [1]
Aviation facilities	Helicopter pad (891) [1]

The Type 909 (NATO reporting name: Dahua) is a class of Chinese auxiliary ship. Four were built for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as weapon trial and oceanographic research ships. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The first ship, Bi Sheng, was completed as a weapons test range ship with Russian MR-90 "Front Dome" radar and electronic countermeasures. It operated as a electronic intelligence ship near Japan in February 2000 prior to PLAN exercises. Bi Sheng was converted into a weapon trial ship at the Wuhu shipyard, and received pennant number 891 in October 2002; while at the shipyard the hull was designated "Wuhu-B" by Western intelligence. ^[3] Bi Sheng was equipped with "Top Plate" air search radar and "Front Dome" fire control radar ^[1] and may have test fired the CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile in August 2012. ^[4]

The design of the third ship, Zhan Tianyou, may have been a modified Type 636 hydrographic survey ship. ^[1] It had a raised bow breakwater and an enclosed, instead of a lattice, foremast. ^[3]

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, by 2024 two were used as weapon trial ships and two were oceanographic research ships. ^[2]

Designation

In 2015, Janes listed Zhan Tianyou and Li Siguang as Type 909s. ^[1] By 2024, the United States Navy considered these ships to be Type 910 weapon trials ships. ^[5]

Ships of class

Pennant number	Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status	Notes
851 [5]	Bi Sheng [6]	Zhongua Shipyard [1]		March 9, 1997 [1]		North Sea Fleet [1]	Active [2]	Launched with pennant number 909 and completed as 970. [6] Pennant changed to 891 in October 2002. [3]
852 [5]	Hua Luogeng [6]	Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding [1]		March 30, 2006 [1]		North Sea Fleet [1]	Active [2]	Former pennant number 892. [5]
893 [1]	Zhan Tianyou [1]			November 12, 2011 [1]		North Sea Fleet [1]	Active [2]
894 [4]	Li Siguang [4]		2012 [4]	November 2013 [4]	October 2014 [4]	North Sea Fleet [1]	Active [2]

References

1. Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. p. 158. ISBN   978-0710631435.
2. International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2024). The Military Balance 2024. London: Routledge. p. 258. ISBN   9781032780047.
3. Bussert, James C. (March 1, 2013). "China Employs Ships As Weapon Test Platforms". Afcea International. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015.
4. Rahmat, Ridzwan (October 14, 2014). "PLAN commissions fourth Dahua-class vessel". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
5. United States Navy Office of Naval Intelligence (April 2024). "China People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN): 2024 Recognition and Identification Guide" . Retrieved January 17, 2025.
6. Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. p. 157. ISBN   978-0-7106-2888-6.