China launches stealth frigate amid ocean tensions

BEIJING China has launched the first ship in a new class of stealth missile frigates, state media reported Tuesday, amid ongoing tensions with neighboring countries over Beijing's maritime claims.

The People's Liberation Army Navy is building a total of 20 Type 056 Jiangdao class frigates to replace older models and bolster its ability to conduct patrols and escort ships and submarines in waters it claims in the South China and East China seas.

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The first in the class, No. 582, was formally delivered to the navy on Monday in Shanghai, which is home to one of the country's largest complexes of naval shipyards, according to the official Xinhua News Agency and the navy's official website.

Newly promoted navy commander Wu Shengli attended the delivery ceremony, the reports said, an indication of the importance with which the service regards the new ships' mission.

The helicopter-equipped ships feature a sleek design to reduce clutter and make them harder to spot by radar and are armed with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. They also need a crew of just 60, two-thirds fewer than older vessels, a major advantage that should boost efficiency and relieve burdens in training and recruitment. At 1,440 tons fully loaded, is considerably smaller than U.S. Navy frigates, and is categorized by some observers as a member of the smaller class of ship known as corvettes.

China's navy has so far stayed aloof from the island disputes in order to avoid further escalating tensions, with patrol ships from the Ministry of Transportation and other government agencies dispatched instead to assert China's territorial claims.

However, China has made no secret of its desire to extend its navy's global reach, and the service has received considerable attention in China's military modernization. China's first aircraft carrier, the overhauled Soviet-era Liaoning, entered service last year, while a growing array of nuclear submarines and ultra-modern surface ships are also joining the fleet.

[teddavey]

REMINDS ME OF THE MOVIE ON THE BEACH NUCLEAR WAR EINSTIEN SAID I DONOT KNOW WHAT WEAPONS WILL BE USED TO FIGHT WW3 WW4 WILL BE FOUGHT WITH STICKS AND STONES

[jefforsythe]

Just because greedy corporate America is trading with the brutal Chinese Communist Party does not make it our friend. It is and always has been our enemy and the enemy of everyone living in the Free World. Corporate greed, insatiable, closing its eyes to such crimes against humanity that would make you sob. The greatest crime of all is the crime against conscience. Just my understanding, thank you.

[thenemo1-2009]

And they are doing so well they do it for .50 cents an hour.

[Trenchant_Commentator]

China has already built a version of these for the Royal Thai Navy and is building several others for Bangladesh. At 1400 tons it is a very small ship restricted to near coastal waters of China.

[2Cclearly]

To HISTORICALACCURACY1.....1.7 billion people with a GDP of 8400 dollars per capita vs 350 million people with a GDP of 48000 dollars per capita. 1.7 billion people living in an area of 3.71 million square miles vs 350 million people living in an area of 3.72 million square miles. 1.7 billion people with 240 nuclear warheads vs 350 million people with over 5000 nuclear warheads. 1.7 billion people surrounded by not a single militarily friendly country vs 350 million people with not a militarily hostile country within sight of any border. The mix is starting to get spicy.

[signseeker1717]

Very nice. However, one may add that Cuba is very close to Florida, and not "militarily friendly" to the US (although certainly not the threat they were when a Soviet client state), and North Korea, which borders China, is technically their "ally".

[2Cclearly]

Somehow the story of the "sinking of the Bismarck" comes to mind.