China’s enigmatic stealth warship ventures on unknown trials

A brand-new Chinese corvette or light frigate has reportedly embarked on its maiden voyage. The vessel’s design shares some broad similarities with Sweden’s radar-evading Visby class corvettes, featuring a main gun that sits concealed inside a low observable cupola when not in use, though this new ship appears larger.

The rapid progress of work on this vessel highlights the impressive scale and scope of China shipbuilding capabilities, posing significant challenges for even the most well-equipped countries, particularly the United States. Just two weeks ago, China’s first indigenously-designed carrier, equipped with catapults and other major advancements, also began its initial sea trials, Bulgarian Military reports.

Images of the ship at sea surfaced on social media over the weekend. However, the exact details of when the ship left port, its sailing route, and whether it has already returned remain unclear.

Alongside the concealed main gun on the bow, last November’s online images revealed what appears to be a vertical launch system array positioned just ahead of the main superstructure, plus a flight deck at the stern. This ship design prioritizes stealth features.

Key design elements include an integrated mast structure atop the bridge and the absence of large aerials or radar-reflective fixtures on the superstructure or deck. The overall design is dominated by smooth, planar, and faceted surfaces, canted inward above the ship’s waist.

This configuration is somewhat akin to a tumblehome design, which narrows progressively above the waterline. However, in this instance, the lower hull flares outward. Similar design principles can be seen in Sweden’s stealthy Visby-class corvettes and the U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers.

When it comes to size, Shugart has approximated that the length of the new stealthy warship is about 97 meters [318 feet]. This estimation is based on comparisons with non-stealthy Type 056 corvettes, known to NATO as the Jiangdao class, which were also seen in the corresponding satellite imagery below. The standard Type 056 is 90 meters [295 feet] long and has a displacement of around 1,500 tons. It’s worth noting that the Liaoning Shipyard has previously manufactured Type 056 corvettes.

China’s intended uses for this new stealthy vessel remain somewhat of a mystery. However, its stealth capabilities might be particularly appealing to the People’s Liberation Army Navy [PLAN]. While it’s crucial to remember that the vessel’s low observable design doesn’t make it invisible to radar, it does make it more challenging to spot and classify on radar from a distance. This stealthiness makes it especially difficult to detect and engage at long ranges in coastal areas, as it can blend in with smaller boat traffic and geographical clutter.

Coastal zones, such as those within the First Island Chain, are of immense importance to the PLAN. This area of the Pacific, defined by a boundary formed by the first line of archipelagos extending from mainland East Asia, includes islands claimed by Beijing, such as the Senkakus.

The First Island Chain also extends into the crucial South China Sea, an area that Beijing claims almost entirely as its own. China has heavily militarized this region, most notably through constructing artificial island fortresses.

We should consider the possibility that the PLAN could deploy a new stealthy corvette fleet primarily for coastal defense. This would free up other vessels, such as the Type 054A frigates, for more extensive blue-water missions.

This new stealth corvette aligns with the global trend towards heavily armed corvettes and light frigates. There’s no denying that the development of this vessel has progressed at a remarkable pace.

This rapid development reflects China’s significantly enhanced shipbuilding capacity. Nearly a year ago, the Office of Naval Intelligence warned that China’s shipbuilding capacity is over 200 times that of the US In addition to quantity, China has also been building increasingly capable ships, indicating an improvement in quality in some aspects.