CNS Suining (551)

Guided-Missile Corvette Warship

China | 2017

"Given good range and balanced firepower, CNS Suining 551 is an active player in the South Sea Fleet for China."

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/24/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

CNS Suining (551) is a modern guided-missile corvette belonging to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and part of the sizeable Type 056A-class (NATO: Jiangdao I-class) of surface combatants. The 1,500-ton warship was commissioned in 2017 and currently makes up just one small cog of the potent South Sea Fleet in active service. The Type 056A-class ships are more focused on Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) measures and based in the Type 056 design which succeeded the older Type 053H-class frigates in same role.

The ship has a running length of 300 feet and a beam of 36.5 feet with a draught down to 13 feet. The shallow draught is of note for it allows the ship to engage in Close-to-Shore operations, whether operating independently or as part of the main fighting fleet. The propulsion scheme is centered on a pair of SEMT-Pielstick PA6-STC diesel motors driving the hull to speeds out to 25 knots and a range out to 3,500 nautical miles.

Aboard is a complement of about 78 personnel. The ship carries the Type 360 series air- / surface-search radar as well as the Type 346G series fire control radar. Sonar appears as both a hull-mounted and towed array. Armament is led by a single 76mm AK-176 turreted deck gun, 2 x Twin-cell YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers, 1 x Eight-cell FL-3000N Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launcher, 2 x 30mm H/PJ-17 autocannons, and 2 x 324mm triple torpedo tubes. All told, the warship can counter the threat posed by most any at-sea adversary. Over the rear of the hull is a helipad-hangar deck area for servicing a single medium-lift navy helicopter.

The profile of the warship exudes modern styling and inherent stealth features. The hull line runs unbroken from bow to stern with the hull superstructure well-contoured with slab sides. The bridge section is set aft and over the deck gun seated on the forecastle. The mast works are integrated to the bridge superstructure while the smoke funnels, over midships, are of a low-profile, enclosed design. The aft superstructure houses the hangar facilities and seats various radars, systems, and sensors. The rear of the ship is cut down to provide unfettered landing avenues for rotorcraft.

CNS Suining forms a critical component to Chinese naval actions in and around the South China Sea where its range, speed, and firepower are a notable deterrent to Western actions. However, the platform remains largely untested in a wartime setting despite its impressive capabilities on paper. Nevertheless, the Type 056A is just one of some 70 or so corvette warships available to the service and one of the newer hulls available to the growing, modernizing Chinese surface fleet.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for CNS Suining (551).

2 x SEMT-Pielstick PA6-STC diesel motors driving 2 x Shafts astern.
Propulsion

25.0 kts
28.8 mph
Surface Speed

3,476 nm
4,000 miles | 6,437 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of CNS Suining (551).

78
Personnel
Complement

300.0 ft
91.44 meters
O/A Length

36.5 ft
11.13 meters
Beam

13.0 ft
3.96 meters
Draught

1,500
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of CNS Suining (551).

1 x 76mm AK-176 turreted deck gun.
2 x Twin-cell YJ-83 anti-ship missile launchers.
1 x 8-cell FL-3000N Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launcher.
2 x 324mm triple -torpedo tubes.
2 x 30mm H/PJ-17 autocannons.

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of CNS Suining (551).

1 x Medium-lift navy helicopter supported from the stern-based helipad / hangar-deck area.

Ships-in-Class (72)
Notable series variants as part of the CNS Suining (551) family line as relating to the Type 056A (Jiangdao I-class) group.

CNS Suining (551)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the CNS Suining (551). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

Shipbuilder(s): Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding - China

[ China ]

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Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Going Further...
CNS Suining (551) Guided-Missile Corvette Warship appears in the following collections:

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