Type 909A Class (Dahua Class) Chinese Weapon Trial Ship
Type 909A Class
Weapon Trial Ship
Other
Basic Information
Name
Type 909A Class (Dahua Class) Chinese Weapon Trial Ship
Designation
Type 909A Class
Alternate Designation
Type 909A Class; Dahua Class
Equipment Type
Weapon Trial Ship
Manufacturer
—
Date of Introduction
2014
Description
The Type 909 weapon trial ship (NATO reporting name: Wuhu-B class) and its successor Type 909A Dahua class are Chinese weapon trials ships developed for its People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A total of four ships have entered service as of mid-2014.
Naval & Littoral Specifications
Crew
80
Variants
Bi Sheng
Commissioned: 1997
Status: Active
Hua Luogeng
Commissioned: 2012
Status: Active
Zhan Tianyou
Commissioned: 2012
Status: Active
Li Siguang
Commissioned: 2014
Status: Active
System
Alternative Designation
Type 909A Class; Dahua Class
Type
Weapon Trial Ship
Builder
China; Shipbuilder: INA
Crew
80
Type 909
The Type 909 is the second purposely built weapon trial ship in PLAN, and in addition to conducting weapon trials for missiles, guns and rockets, the ship is also tasked to test electronic systems such as radars, communication systems and electronic intelligence and warfare systems. Designed to first supplement and then eventually replace the Yanxi-class weapon trials ship that entered service more than three decades earlier, The Type 909 has received NATO reporting name Wuhu-B class. The design incorporates specially designed accommodations for research crew to carry out their mission. The pennant number of Type 909 went through several changes, originally 909, and this was changed to 970 to avoid confusing with the type number. Subsequently, the pennant number was changed to 891. Originally only with pennant number but without any name, the ship was finally formally named as Bi Sheng on October 10, 2002.
Type 909A
Nearly one and half a decades after the first Type 909 entered service, a successor Type 909A entered PLAN service as Hua Luogeng. Currently, assignments are split between two ships, with Bi Sheng (# 891) tasked to conduct trials for missiles launched from container/launcher, while Hua Luogeng (#892) tasked to test all missiles that are vertically launched from vertical launching systems. However, it must be said that such division of work is only due to administrative purposes, not technical limitations, as both ships are capable of conducting trials for both vertically launched missiles and non vertically launched. In 2012, another Type 909A with pennant number 893 entered PLAN service, and it is rumored its name is Zu Chongzhi by many Chinese internet claims, but this has yet to be confirmed by official or independent sources. The most distinct difference between Type 909A and its predecessor Type 909 becomes visually identifiable since this ship, with new ships has a raised bow breakwater to reduce water over the bow and a never-before-seen 30-foot-tall, 3-foot-diameter satellite communications antenna on the forecastle. The ship has an enclosed foremast instead of the latticework mast structures found on prior vessels. Type 909A has received the NATO reporting name Dahua class.
Dimensions
Length
130 m
Beam
INA
Draft
INA
Displacement, Standard
4,630 Tons
Displacement, Full Load
6,000 tons fully loaded
Propulsion System
Engine Name
INA
Engine Type
2 x Diesel Engines
Engine Power
@ 14000 hp
Maximum Range
INA
Maximum Speed
37.04 km/h (20 kts)
Gun Weapon Systems
Note
There is no available information that outlines the weapons systems of the Type 909A
Radar Systems
Air and Surface Radar System
The ship originally had a 3-D Sea Eagle S/C radar aft and Type 360/S Seagull-S radar forward. The 891 ship was the sea prototype host for the active electronically steered Type 456 phased array radar in the early 2000 time frame; it had exposed water cooling pipes that would not be visible on the production model on the 052C. The radar had a convex curved outer protective cover rather than the flat array faces on Russian or U.S. Aegis. The Nanjing Radar Institute is credited with its development. The Type 456 is a C-band system different than other X-band radars such as from the Ukrainian Kvant Bureau
Navigation Radar
INA
Protection
Active Protection System
INA
Countermeasures
INA
NBC Water Washdown System
Yes
Details
Country of Origin
China
Category
Special Purpose Ships
Naval > Special Purpose Ships
Filter Label
T
Classification
Domain
Naval & Littoral
Equipment Status
Active
Dimensions
Length
130 m
Width
—
Height
—
Weight
—
Operators (1)
China
Something went wrong. Please reload the page.
Reload