Houbei class missile boat

The Houbei class (Type 022) missile boat is the newest class of missile boat in the People's Liberation Army Navy. The first boat was launched in April 2004 by the Qiuxin Shipbuilding Factory at Shanghai. These boats incorporate stealth features and wave-piercing catamaran hulls. The four boats currently in service with the PLA Navy have hull numbers from 2208 through 2211, and more are anticipated.

Design

The Houbei class FAC (fast attack craft) are China's entry into a growing list of missile-armed FAC which include Sweden’s Visby class corvette and Norway’s smaller air cushion Skjold class patrol boat. As the USA continues to develop its Littoral combat ship program other nations have begun developing less complicated and less expensive ships for their own littoral warfare and patrol roles. As such, while the Chinese ships are not true competitors to the USA’s Littoral combat ships, they could pose a significant threat in the Taiwan Straits.

The design of the Houbei class is reported to have been developed with assistance from AMD Marine Consulting, a leading Australian company on catamaran designs for fast ferries.

pecifications

Note: Details remain speculative
*Displacement: 220 tons full load
*Length: 42.6 m
*Beam: 12.2 m
*Draft: 1.5 m
*Speed: 36 kt
*Armament:
**Anti-ship missiles: 8 C-801/802/803
**Surface-to-air missiles: 12 MANPAD missiles
**Guns: 1 x licensed copy of KBP AO-18 6-barrel 30 mm gun (AK-630) by ZEERI
*Propulsion: 2 diesel engines @ 6,865 hp with 4 waterjet propulsors by MARI
*Radars:
**Surface search radar: 1 Type 362
**Navigational radar: 1
** Electro-optics: HEOS 300

imilar ships

*Skjold class patrol boat
*Visby class corvette

References

Watts, Anthony J. "Jane's Warship Recognition Guide" ISBN 978-0-06-084992-4

External links

* [http://www.strategycenter.net/research/pubID.152/pub_detail.asp IDEX 2007 Showcases China’s Productive Weapons Sector]
* [http://www.heos717.com/hqzyqz.htm 武汉华之洋光电系统有限责任公司/Wuhan Naval Electro-Optics Company]
* [http://www.amd.com.au/designs/amd350pb.php AMD Marine Consulting AMD350PB Design]