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China adds vertical launch capacity to Type 054B frigates
Satellite images dated June 28 show the bow VLS configuration changing from earlier 32-cell setups to a possible 48-cell system, which could expand missile loadout and air-defense capability as new ships are outfitted in Shanghai.
China appears to be expanding the vertical launch system capacity on its most advanced guided-missile frigate, the Type 054B, under construction in Shanghai, satellite imagery shows. According to satellite images taken on June 28 and cited by SCMP Economy, earlier Type 054B vessels that entered service used four eight-cell units, or 32 launching cells. The June 28 image instead showed a six-unit structure at the bow, suggesting the same eight-cell system could be configured to support 48 VLS cells on a ship still being outfitted at the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard.
SCMP Economy reports that this change could allow the new vessel to carry a larger missile reserve and strengthen anti-air defense. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military commentator and former People’s Liberation Army instructor, said the Type 054B’s previous 32 cells could limit the range of missile types and that increasing the cell count would directly boost anti-saturation defense and overall combat capability.