Naval Systems

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat

Also known as
  • Type 022
  • Type 22
  • Type 2208
  • Houbei
  • Houbei class
  • Houbei-class missile boat
  • Type 022 missile boat
  • Type 22 missile boat
  • Type 022 fast attack craft
  • Flying Shark at Sea

The Type 022 or Houbei-class is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat built around fast littoral anti-ship attack. Public references describe a wave-piercing, radar-signature-reduced hull carrying eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, a 30 mm H/PJ-13 or AK-630-derived gun, waterjet propulsion, and enough sensors for local engagements while relying on wider PLAN targeting networks for longer-range missile employment.

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat class, Naval Systems
Image source: Houbei (Type 022) Class Fast Attack Craft.JPG
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Length
42.6 m
Beam
12.2 m
Draft
1.5 m
Displacement
224 t full load
Crew
12
Speed
36-40 knots in public references
Propulsion
2 diesel engines and 4 waterjet propulsors
Sensors
H/LJQ-362 surface-search radar, navigation radar, fire-control system with datalink, and H/ZGJ-1B optronic sensor in WeaponSystems.net reporting
Armament
8 YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, 1 bow 30 mm H/PJ-13 / AK-630-derived Gatling gun, and reported QW-pattern MANPADS launcher on later boats
Littoral Strike Profile

The Houbei class is a small, high-speed surface combatant optimized around concentrated missile fire in coastal waters. The useful page context is not only the missile count, but how the hull form, limited sensors, and external targeting requirement shape its role.

FeatureSourced detailOperational effect
Hull and propulsionWave-piercing catamaran hull with diesel engines and four waterjets.Prioritizes speed, shallow coastal operations, and a stable missile-launch platform.
Strike batteryEight YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers housed around the aft superstructure.Allows a small boat to contribute to saturation-style anti-surface attacks.
Sensor limitsWeaponSystems.net describes a basic sensor suite and notes that longer-range targeting depends on external sensor information.Explains why the boat is more valuable as part of a networked coastal force than as a standalone patrol craft.
Support roleChina's defense ministry reported drills involving jamming rounds, smoke, formation maneuvering, and emergency tasks.Shows a later training emphasis beyond the original pure missile-attack role.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net, China's Ministry of National Defense, and Covert Shores entries listed below.

Variants

Open references treat the Type 022/Houbei as a compact missile-boat class with later visible configuration changes rather than a large named-variant family.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Baseline Type 022 / HoubeiMissile-boat configuration

WeaponSystems.net describes the main production configuration as a wave-piercing catamaran missile boat with eight YJ-83 launchers and a bow 30 mm H/PJ-13 gun.

Sources: Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.net

FLS-1 bridge-launcher fitShort-range air-defense addition

Public references describe later boats with a bridge-mounted FLS-1 launcher for QW-pattern man-portable surface-to-air missiles.

Sources: Type 022 missile boat

Modified special-purpose boatsPossible command-and-control or electronic-warfare conversion

Covert Shores reported in December 2025 that two Type 022 boats at Liaonan Shipyard had their missile bins replaced by a larger aft structure and additional antenna/radome features, with the new role still uncertain.

Sources: Chinese Navy (PLAN) Has Modified Two Type-022 FAC For Special Purpose

Carried Munitions

The class is best understood as a small missile platform whose main combat value comes from a compact anti-ship salvo.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missile, Subsonic anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsYJ-83 anti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missile

WeaponSystems.net identifies eight YJ-83 launchers as the Type 022's main armament, while Covert Shores describes the boats as armed with eight YJ-83 sea-skimming anti-ship missiles.

Sources: Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.net, Chinese Navy (PLAN) Has Modified Two Type-022 FAC For Special Purpose

Why the missile link matters

The Type 022 has limited organic sensor reach for over-the-horizon engagements, so the missile battery is most meaningful when the boat is cued by wider PLAN sensors and data links.

Sources: Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.net

Timeline

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat Key Events

  1. Class enters PLAN service

    WeaponSystems.net and other open references place Type 022 service entry in 2004, matching the class's emergence during early-2000s PLAN modernization.

    Sources: Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.net

  2. Large production run effectively complete

    Public references describe a rapid production run in the 2004-2009 period, with roughly 80 or more boats reported across PLAN flotillas.

    Sources: Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.net, Type 022 missile boat

  3. Reported in combined anti-ship exercise context

    Andrew Erickson's exercise note linked Houbei Type 022 missile catamarans and YJ-83 missiles to East Sea Fleet combined-arms anti-ship training around Zhoushan.

    Sources: Chinese Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Firing as Part of Combined Arms Anti-Carrier Exercises

  4. Defense ministry reports live-fire support drills

    China's Ministry of National Defense reported Type 022 boats in four-day drills that included gunfire, jamming rounds, smoke release, formation maneuvering, and support tasks in coastal combat training.

    Sources: Live-fire drills by stealth missile boats enhance China's coastal combat capability

  5. Two modified boats reported

    Covert Shores reported two Type 022 boats modified with missile bins removed and a new aft structure, possibly for command-and-control or electronic-warfare work.

    Sources: Chinese Navy (PLAN) Has Modified Two Type-022 FAC For Special Purpose

Media

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat Videos

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat Images

Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Type 22 PLAN FAC.svg
Type 022 / Houbei-class missile boat, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy catamaran missile boat class, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Category:Type 22 missile boat
Related Weapon Systems
Type 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy corvette and anti-submarine-warfare corvette family, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvetteChinese People's Liberation Army Navy corvette and anti-submarine-warfare corvette familyThe Type 056 / Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette is a Chinese corvette family built in large numbers for littoral patrol, escort, surface warfare, and coastal anti-submarine work. The baseline Type 056 carried a 76 mm gun, YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, point-defense missiles, and torpedo tubes, while the Type 056A added towed-array and variable-depth sonar; the class has also appeared in South China Sea dispute patrol incidents.
Type 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigate, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile frigate class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigateChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile frigate classThe Type 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigate is the two-ship first generation of China's Jiangkai guided-missile frigate family, built at Shanghai and Guangzhou for the People's Liberation Army Navy before production shifted to the more capable Type 054A. Public sources identify Ma'anshan and Wenzhou as 2005-commissioned ships with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, HQ-7 point air defense, AK-630 close-in guns, light torpedo tubes, and helicopter facilities; both hulls are documented in Chinese counter-piracy escort deployments in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.
Type 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigate, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy multi-role frigate class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigateChinese People's Liberation Army Navy multi-role frigate classThe Type 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigate is a Chinese multi-role guided-missile frigate class that developed the two-ship Type 054 design into a serial PLAN escort with medium-range vertical-launch air defense, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine weapons, and helicopter facilities. Later batches and export derivatives kept the same basic escort concept while changing sensors, close-in defenses, aviation support, and customer-specific weapons.
Type 052B / Luyang I-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052B / Luyang I-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 052B, also called the Luyang I-class or Guangzhou-class destroyer, is a two-ship People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built by Jiangnan Shipyard. Its combat system pairs Russian Shtil-1/SA-N-12 area air-defense launchers with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, Type 730 close-in guns, torpedo tubes, and a helicopter hangar, and both ships later appeared in Chinese Gulf of Aden counter-piracy escort deployments.

Sources

Type 022 missile boatPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Starting reference for class identity, aliases, service period, reported production span, FLS-1 fit, and representative specifications for the Houbei class. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Type-022 class - WeaponSystems.netPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Type 022/Houbei identity, 2004 service entry, Hudong-Zhonghua production context, reported production count, hull layout, YJ-83 launchers, sensor fit, crew, propulsion, and representative dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Houbei Class (Type 022) Fast Attack Craft, Missile - SpecificationsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports representative dimensions, crew, displacement, and speed for the Type 022/Houbei class. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Jiangdao Type-056 Frigate/Corvette (FFL) - ProgramPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the additional manufacturer attribution that LiaoNan shipyard in Dalian built some Type 022 class fast attack craft before its Type 056 production work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11Live-fire drills by stealth missile boats enhance China's coastal combat capabilityPublisher: Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China | Note: Supports 2020 training context for Type 022 boats, including live-fire drills, jamming rounds, smoke release, formation maneuvering, coastal support framing, and reported numbers. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Chinese Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Firing as Part of Combined Arms Anti-Carrier ExercisesPublisher: Andrew S. Erickson | Note: Supports exercise context connecting Houbei Type 022 missile catamarans, YJ-83 missiles, and combined anti-ship training in the East China Sea. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Chinese Navy (PLAN) Has Modified Two Type-022 FAC For Special PurposePublisher: Covert Shores | Note: Supports December 2025 reporting on two modified Type 022 boats, the removal of missile bins, possible command-and-control or electronic-warfare role, and the baseline YJ-83 missile fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-01"Flying Shark at Sea": Type 22 Missile BoatPublisher: China Military Online | Note: Supports the official-style video selection and Type 22 presentation context used for the YouTube embed. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Category:Type 22 missile boatPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance context and the Commons category identity for the Houbei class image set. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Houbei (Type 022) Class Fast Attack Craft.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the primary Houbei class photo used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Type 22 PLAN FAC.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the silhouette gallery image of the Type 022 class. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Type 22.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the Type 022 gallery drawing used on this entry. | Accessed: 2026-07-01