Naval Systems

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate

Also known as
  • Jiangwei II
  • Jiangwei II class
  • Type 053H3
  • Type 053H3 frigate
  • Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II class frigate

The Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate is a Chinese guided-missile frigate class built as the improved Jiangwei follow-on for the People's Liberation Army Navy. Open naval references describe ten ships produced from 1996 to 2005, a CODAD machinery plant, YJ-83 or export anti-ship missiles, HHQ-7 short-range air defense, anti-piracy escort deployments off Somalia, South China Sea shadowing activity, Taiwan Strait presence, and later transfer of two ex-PLAN hulls into Bangladesh Navy service.

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate, Chinese guided-missile frigate class, Naval Systems
Image source: PLANS Sanming (FFG-524) 20150612.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2022 Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis
Deterrence
Side
People's Republic of China

Taipei Times reported that Chinese Type 053H3 Jiangwei-class frigate activity had been entering Taiwanese waters since early August 2022, during the post-Pelosi Taiwan Strait crisis period.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
People's Republic of China
Type
Chinese guided-missile frigate class
Service note
1996-2005
Produced
1996-2005
Number built
10
Developed from
Type 053H2G / Jiangwei I-class frigate
Developed into
Pakistan Navy F-22P / Zulfiquar-class frigate

Specifications

Displacement
About 2,250 tons standard; 2,393 tons full load
Length
112 m
Beam
12.4 m
Draft
4.3 m
Propulsion
CODAD, two shafts, with 18E390VA and MTU diesels
Speed
About 28 knots
Range
About 5,000 nautical miles at 15 knots
Crew
About 168-170
Anti-ship missiles
Two quadruple launchers for YJ-83 or related export missiles
Air defense
One eight-cell HHQ-7 short-range SAM launcher; later PLAN upgrades reported with HHQ-10
Aviation
Hangar and landing spot for one Z-9C helicopter
Class Overview

The Type 053H3 kept the compact Jiangwei frigate layout but moved the class toward a fuller escort fit: anti-ship missiles, point air defense, a twin 100 mm gun, close-range gun mounts, ASW rockets, decoys, and a helicopter facility.

Build run

Ten ships, produced from 1996 to 2005.

WeaponSystems.net lists Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai and Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou as producers.

Lineage

Improved Type 053H2G/Jiangwei derivative.

The main cited distinction is the change from HQ-61B on the earlier class to HHQ-7 on Type 053H3.

Operators

PLAN service with two ex-PLAN ships transferred to Bangladesh.

Janes and Baird Maritime identify the Bangladesh ships as former PLAN Type 053H3 hulls.

Variants

The entry covers the Chinese Type 053H3/Jiangwei II class; closely related rows explain the immediate predecessor and export-derived family.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Type 053H2G / Jiangwei I-class frigate, Guided-missile frigate and converted patrol vessel class, Naval SystemsType 053H2G / Jiangwei I-class frigatePredecessor Jiangwei design

The Type 053H3 is described as an improved derivative of the Type 053H2G, replacing the earlier HQ-61B fit with an HHQ-7 naval SAM system.

Sources: Type-053H3 class

Pakistan Navy F-22P / Zulfiquar-class frigateExport-derived frigate family

GlobalSecurity describes the F-22P export class for Pakistan as based on the Jiangwei-II/Type 053H3 hull and machinery but modified with Pakistan-specific weapons, sensors, and command systems.

Sources: Jiangwei-II Type 057 / Type 053H3

Launched Missiles

Open naval references identify container-launched anti-ship missiles as the class's main surface-strike battery, with source wording varying between PLAN YJ-83 and C-802 or export C-802A context.

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

Janes describes the PLAN fit on the transferred ships as eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles in slant-mounted container launchers, while WeaponSystems.net lists two quadruple YJ-83 launchers on later ships in the class.

Sources: China hands over two ex-PLAN frigates to Bangladesh Navy, Type-053H3 class

C-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, MunitionsC-802/Noor anti-ship cruise missileExport anti-ship missile family

GlobalSecurity lists the Jiangwei-II fit as eight C-802 surface-to-surface missiles, while Janes noted that the Bangladesh-transfer ships may have received missiles aligned with the C-802A export version.

Sources: GlobalSecurity Jiangwei specifications, China hands over two ex-PLAN frigates to Bangladesh Navy

Air-defense fit

The same transfer reporting lists an HHQ-7 short-range surface-to-air missile launcher in PLAN service and notes possible FM-90N export-version changes for Bangladesh; no suitable public HHQ-7 or FM-90N catalog record was available to link.

Sources: China hands over two ex-PLAN frigates to Bangladesh Navy

Bangladesh Transfer

Two decommissioned PLAN Type 053H3 frigates were overhauled in Shanghai and handed to the Bangladesh Navy in December 2019. Janes identified them as former Jiaxing and Lianyungang, while Baird Maritime later reported BNS Umar Farooq and BNS Abu Ubaidah entering Bangladesh Navy service on 5 November 2020.

Timeline

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate Key Events

  1. Improved Jiangwei construction begins

    GlobalSecurity places Hudong Shipyard's start of improved Jiangwei II construction in 1996, after the earlier Jiangwei series.

  2. Class enters service

    WeaponSystems.net lists 1998 as the Type 053H3 class service-entry year.

  3. Ten-ship production run completed

    Open reference sources list ten Type 053H3 frigates produced by Hudong and Huangpu yards between 1996 and 2005.

  4. Two ex-PLAN hulls handed to Bangladesh

    Janes reported that the ex-PLAN Type 053H3 frigates Jiaxing and Lianyungang were handed over to the Bangladesh Navy at Shanghai after overhaul.

  5. Bangladesh commissions transferred frigates

    Baird Maritime reported BNS Umar Farooq and BNS Abu Ubaidah entering Bangladesh Navy service as ex-PLAN Type 053H3 ships.

Media

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate Images

Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate, Chinese guided-missile frigate class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: PLANS Lianyungang (FFG-522) 20160407.jpg
Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II-class frigate, Chinese guided-missile frigate class, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Jiangwei class frigate -Sanming-.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
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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.
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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.
Type 052D / Luyang III-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052D / Luyang III-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 052D, also called the Luyang III or Kunming class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer family built for area air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and strike missions. The class pairs Type 346-series phased-array radar with a 64-cell vertical launch system, and later Type 052DL ships stretch the stern aviation area for a larger helicopter while production continues from Jiangnan and Dalian yards.
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.

Sources

Jiangwei-II Type 057 / Type 053H3Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the Type 053H3 class background, successor relationship to the Type 053H2G, general armament context, export-derived F-22P relationship, and modernization context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03GlobalSecurity Jiangwei specificationsPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the Jiangwei-II armament list, including C-802 missiles, HQ-7 SAM, guns, torpedo tubes, Z-9 aircraft, radars, and baseline dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Type 053H3 / Jiangwei II Class FrigatesPublisher: Naval Technology | Note: Supports the class designation, coastal patrol role, and the anti-air and anti-submarine mission set described for the class. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Type-053H3 classPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports production years, producer yards, service-entry year, specifications, main armament, helicopter facility, and Type 053H2G derivative relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-03China hands over two ex-PLAN frigates to Bangladesh NavyPublisher: Janes | Note: Supports the December 2019 handover of two ex-PLAN Type 053H3 frigates to Bangladesh and the reported PLAN missile and gun fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Five Bangladesh Navy ships commissioned into servicePublisher: Baird Maritime | Note: Supports the November 2020 commissioning of BNS Umar Farooq and BNS Abu Ubaidah as ex-PLAN Type 053H3 frigates. | Accessed: 2026-07-03China Maritime Report No. 44: Dirty But Preparing to FightPublisher: U.S. Naval War College / GovInfo | Note: Supports conflictUsage:2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta by documenting Type 053H3 frigate Luoyang in the 16th PLAN escort task force and its Gulf of Aden ship-protection duties. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Djibouti: China's First Overseas Strategic StrongpointPublisher: U.S. Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute | Note: Supports conflictUsage:2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta by listing Type 053H3 frigates Mianyang and Luoyang in PLAN anti-piracy escort task force port-call records. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Escort Task Group of the Chinese Navy visits Cape TownPublisher: The Diplomatic Society | Note: Supports conflictUsage:2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta by identifying Type 053H3 frigate FFG-527 Luoyang in the 16th Escort Task Group after Gulf of Aden and Somali waters escort operations. | Accessed: 2026-07-03From the Great White North to the South China SeaPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports conflictUsage:South China Sea Disputes by reporting PLAN Type 053H3 frigate CNS Luoyang shadowing HMCS Montreal during a Spratly Islands patrol transit. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Overhauled frigate project unveiledPublisher: Taipei Times | Note: Supports conflictUsage:2022 Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis by reporting Chinese Type 053H3 Jiangwei-class frigate activity entering Taiwanese waters since early August 2022. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Category:Type 053H3 frigatePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the ship-class identification, People's Liberation Army Navy operator, and Type 053H3 class metadata. | Accessed: 2026-07-03PLANS Sanming (FFG-524) 20150612.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance for a Type 053H3 frigate photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03PLANS Lianyungang (FFG-522) 20160407.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a Type 053H3 frigate photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Jiangwei class frigate -Sanming-.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a Type 053H3 frigate photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-03