Missiles: SSM: YJ-82 (C-801); radar active homing to 40 km (22 n miles) at 0.9 Mach; warhead 165 kg.
Torpedoes: 6-21 in (533 mm) tubes. Combination of Yu-4 (SAET-60); passive homing to 15 km (8.1 n miles) at 40 kt; warhead 400 kg and Yu-1 (Type 53-51) to 9.2 km (5 n miles) at 39 kt or 3.7 km (2.1 n miles) at 51 kt; warhead 400 kg. Possible Shkval to be fitted.
Mines: In lieu of torpedoes.
Countermeasures: ESM: Type 921-A; radar warning.
Radars: Surface search: I-band.
Sonars: Bow-mounted; passive/active search and attack; medium frequency.
Flank array; passive search; low frequency.
Programmes: First of class started sea trials in August 1995, as a result of which substantial modifications were made. Second of class trials started in early 2000 and third in early 2001. Fourth commissioned in 2003 while fifth and sixth were conducting trials in late 2003. Construction of the seventh and eighth hulls is understood to have started in 2001 and 2002 respectively and of the ninth, in a second shipbuilding line at Jiangnan Shipyard, in 2002. Construction of further boats is almost certainly underway in what is the core national building programme.
Structure: Comparable in size to Ming class but with a single skew propeller and an integrated spherical bow sonar. The forward hydroplanes are mounted below the bridge, which is on a step lower than the part of the fin that contains the masts in earlier boats. The fin is of a different shape (no cutaway) in later boats. Some of the details are speculative and the latest hulls of the class may have benefited from experience gained with the Kilos. The diesel engines are likely to be reverse engineered. Sonars are reported to be of French design.
Operational: The YJ-82 is the submarine launched version of the C-801 and is fired from torpedo tubes. Reports of an anti-submarine CY-1 air flight weapon are not confirmed.
