# Type 056 corvette (056型轻型护卫舰)
The **Type 056 corvette** (056型轻型护卫舰), given the NATO reporting name Jiangdao, is a Chinese light corvette built for coastal waters and exclusive economic zone operations, produced for the [People's Liberation Army Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/peoples-liberation-army-navy) (PLAN) from 2013 to 2021 in a baseline version and an anti-submarine variant, the Type 056A.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [2](https://www.battlepolicy.com/type-056/) With 72 units completed in nine years, it became the largest single vessel class in the PLAN fleet and the centerpiece of China's push to upgrade its littoral warfare capabilities.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [3](https://dodo.is.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/197742/120483063.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) • [4](https://chinapower.csis.org/china-naval-modernization/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Class and role | Jiangdao-class light corvette for offshore operations inside the first island chain; entered PLAN service in 2013[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) |
| Production | 72 units built at four shipyards (Hudong, Huangpu, Wuchang, Liaonan), about eight per year; last Type 056A completed in 2021[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) |
| Variants | 22 baseline Type 056; 50 Type 056A with passive towed-array sonar and active variable-depth sonar for antisubmarine warfare[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html) |
| Size and crew | 292 ft long, 38 ft beam, 14 ft draft; roughly 1,300–1,500 tons; crew about 60–70[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html) |
| Performance | Two diesels, two shafts, 25–30 knots; cruising range about 2,000 nm at 18 knots[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) |
| Armament | 4 YJ-83 anti-ship missiles (97 nm range), 76-mm gun, two 30-mm guns, 8-cell FL-3000N point-defense launcher, two triple 324-mm torpedo tubes[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) |
| Exports | Four C-13B variants to Bangladesh, two P-18N offshore patrol ships to Nigeria, and an Algerian variant launched in 2021[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) |
## Design and characteristics
The Jiangdao class displaces about 1,300 to 1,500 tons depending on the source and load condition, and measures 292 feet (about 89 meters) in length with a 38-foot beam.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html) Weaponsystems.net lists 1,300 tons standard and 1,440 tons full load, an 88.9-meter length, an 11.1-meter beam, and a 4-meter draft.[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class) Propulsion is a CODAD arrangement of two SEMT Pielstick 16 PA6-STC diesel engines producing 13,800 horsepower combined on two shafts, for a top speed of 25 knots by that source's figures; the Naval Institute account gives a top speed of 25 to 30 knots.[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class) • [1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) Range is about 2,000 nautical miles at 18 knots.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain)
The crew is roughly 60 to 70 personnel, although some sources place the number as high as 78.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) Sensors include hull-mounted sonar, air-and-surface-search radars (the Type 364 by the weapons reference), electronic jammers, and decoy launchers for missile defense; the combat data system is the ZKJ-5.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class) The class uses a downscaled sensor package and a selection of armament also found on the larger [Type 054A frigate](https://www.edgepedia.org/type-054a-frigate).[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class)
## Armament
Primary armament consists of four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles carried amidships in two twin launchers; the missile has a 419-pound warhead and a maximum range of 97 nautical miles.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [7](https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/2-new-warships-commissioned-into-plans-east-china-sea-fleet/) A single 76-mm H/PJ26 dual-purpose gun sits near the bow, with fire control from a Type 347G radar, and a remotely operated 30-mm gun is mounted on each side for self-defense.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class) Air defense is provided by an eight-cell FL-3000N (HHQ-10) infrared-guided point-defense surface-to-air missile launcher fitted forward of the helicopter landing deck.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain)
Against submarines, the class carries two triple 324-mm torpedo tubes firing Yu-7 lightweight torpedoes.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class) A single Harbin Z-9C naval helicopter can operate from the aft landing deck, but the ship has no hangar, which limits sustained aviation operations.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [7](https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/2-new-warships-commissioned-into-plans-east-china-sea-fleet/)
## Variants and service
**Two configurations.** The PLAN built the class in two primary configurations. Twenty-two baseline Type 056 corvettes were reportedly completed before production shifted to the Type 056A, which numbered 50 units and placed greater emphasis on antisubmarine warfare. The 056A adds a passive towed-array sonar and an active variable-depth sonar; the basic type carries only a Type 347G (LR66) radar and a bow-mounted sonar.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [7](https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/2-new-warships-commissioned-into-plans-east-china-sea-fleet/) The Type 056A entered service in 2014.[8](https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/api/product-pdf/public/b0004ezl)
The ships were built at four shipyards, Hudong in Shanghai, Huangpu in [Guangzhou](https://www.edgepedia.org/guangzhou), Wuchang in Wuhan, and Liaonan in Dalian, and are operated by all three PLAN fleets: [North Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-sea), East Sea, and South Sea.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) The 72nd and final ship was commissioned in early 2021, completing the production run at an average rate of about eight ships per year.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html)
**Transfer to the coast guard.** Beginning in late 2021, the PLAN transferred the early baseline Type 056s, likely 22 ships in total, to the [China Coast Guard](https://www.edgepedia.org/china-coast-guard), reportedly because the early models lack towed-array sonar; reports indicate their missiles were removed in the process.[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html) • [1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) This left the 056A as the main corvette type in PLAN service. According to the 2024 *Military Balance*, the PLAN had over 50 Type 056A corvettes, the largest single vessel class in the fleet; a BBC-monitored account states that by August 2025 the PLAN operated 48 Type 056As, with 19 in the East Fleet and 11 in the North.[3](https://dodo.is.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/197742/120483063.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) • [8](https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/api/product-pdf/public/b0004ezl)
## Role in the PLAN fleet
The Type 056 was designed as an effective replacement for the rapidly aging Type 037 patrol craft and formed part of a larger overhaul of China's littoral fleet.[9](https://theses.cz/id/4nh5tc/Kubec_-_Diploma_Thesis.pdf) It sits at the center of the PLAN's effort to upgrade its littoral warfare capabilities, freeing larger frigates such as the Type 054A from near-seas patrol and antisubmarine duties so those ships can be re-focused on missions farther afield.[4](https://chinapower.csis.org/china-naval-modernization/) • [10](https://www.chinasignpost.com/2015/08/02/the-type-054054a-frigate-series-chinas-most-produced-and-deployed-large-modern-surface-combatant/) Commentators describe the class as well suited to offshore operations inside the first island chain, the waters enclosing the [Yellow Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellow-sea), East China Sea, and [South China Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-sea), where corvettes handle mid-range and littoral missions rather than major blue-water combat.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) • [7](https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/2-new-warships-commissioned-into-plans-east-china-sea-fleet/)
Much of the net growth in the overall size of China's fleet since 2013 can be attributed to the many Type 056s added in that period.[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html) Observers have also noted at least one example of a newer corvette, or light frigate (FFL), design estimated to be somewhat larger than the Type 056.[5](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html)
## Export variants
Beyond PLAN service, the Type 056 found success on the export market. Four corvettes built to a modified C-13B design serve with Bangladesh, two slightly larger P-18N variants serve as offshore patrol ships with the [Nigerian Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/nigerian-navy), and Algeria ordered a variant that was launched in 2021 with delivery expected by 2023.[1](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain) The design itself grew out of the Pattani-class patrol vessel produced for export to Thailand, with the Type 056 being a larger and improved development of that hull.[6](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class)
## References
1. [Eric Wertheim (September 2022). China's Jiangdao-class Corvette: Mainstay of the First Island Chain. U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 148/9/1,435.](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/september/chinas-jiangdao-class-corvette-mainstay-first-island-chain)
2. [Type 056 Jiangdao: China's mass-produced light corvette. Battle Policy.](https://www.battlepolicy.com/type-056/)
3. [Thesis citing IISS, The Military Balance 2024, p. 257, on Type 056A numbers.](https://dodo.is.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/197742/120483063.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1)
4. [How is China Modernizing its Navy? ChinaPower Project, CSIS.](https://chinapower.csis.org/china-naval-modernization/)
5. [China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress, CRS Report RL33153 (updated April 24, 2025).](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33153.html)
6. [Type-056 class. Weaponsystems.net.](https://weaponsystems.net/system/976-Type-056%20class)
7. [2 New Warships Commissioned Into PLAN's East China Sea Fleet. The Diplomat (2016).](https://thediplomat.com/2016/12/2-new-warships-commissioned-into-plans-east-china-sea-fleet/)
8. [BBC Monitoring product report on PLAN Type 056A strength.](https://monitoring.bbc.co.uk/api/product-pdf/public/b0004ezl)
9. [Kubec, diploma thesis on the Type 056 and PLAN littoral fleet.](https://theses.cz/id/4nh5tc/Kubec_-_Diploma_Thesis.pdf)
10. [The Type 054/054A Frigate Series. China SignPost (2015).](https://www.chinasignpost.com/2015/08/02/the-type-054054a-frigate-series-chinas-most-produced-and-deployed-large-modern-surface-combatant/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Armed forces and security organizations › Warships and ship classes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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