Binzhou (515) is a Type 054A frigate of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 29 December 2016. She is stationed in Zhoushan, Zhejiang. She is part of the East Sea Fleet.
Development and design
The Type 054A carries HQ-16 medium-range air defence missiles and anti-submarine missiles in a vertical launching system (VLS) system. The HQ-16 has a range of up to 50 km, with superior range and engagement angles to the Type 054's HQ-7. The Type 054A's VLS uses a hot launch method; a shared common exhaust system is sited between the two rows of rectangular launching tubes.舰载武器SHIPBORNE WEAPONS 2013 AUGUST ISSUE
The four AK-630 close-in weapon systems (CIWS) of the Type 054 were replaced with two Type 730 CIWS on the Type 054A. The autonomous Type 730 provides improved reaction time against close-in threats.
Construction and career Binzhou was launched on 13 December 2015 at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. She was commissioned on 29 December 2016.
She was part of the 29th Escort Task Group in the Gulf of Aden, being deployed on April 4, 2018, and had a stopover in the Port of Piraeus, where she was visited by the then Chinese ambassador to Greece on June 1.
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References