Type 815 spy ship
Type 815 spy ship or electronic surveillance ship and its derivative Type 815G are the newest Chinese electronic surveillance ships in service (as of 2014) with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A total of two ships have been confirmed, one Type 815, and the other Type 815G.
Type 815
Type 815 was formerly named as Dong-Diao (东调, meaning "East Investigate") (Pennant #232), but subsequently, the name was changed to Polaris after new naming convention adopted by PLAN. After entering service in the latter half of 1999, the ship went through major upgrade several years later, with parabolic antennas replaced by three large radomes. In addition to collecting electronic intelligence, this class is also tasked to perform ballistic missile tracking. There is a hangar for a helicopter. Specification:[1]
- Length (m): 130
- Width (m): 16.4
- Draft (m): 6.5
- Displacement (t): 6000
- Speed (kt): 20
- Crew: 250
- Propulsion: diesel engine
- Armament: 1 twin 37 mm, 2 twin 25 mm
| Pennant # | Name | Builder | Commissioned | Status | Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 851 | Beijixing (Polaris) | Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding | late 1999 | Active | East Sea Fleet |
Type 815G
In 2009 an improved version appeared, designated as Type 815G, and the most obvious external visual difference between Type 815G and earlier Type 815 is that the former has a different mast somewhat similar to a pagoda shape, and the sheer line is curved at a greater angle.[2]
| Pennant # | Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 853 | Tianwangxing (Uranus) | Hudong,Shanghai | 1 December 2009 | 1 December 2010 | Active | East Sea Fleet |
| 854 | Tianlangxing (Sirius) | Hudong,Shanghai | 29 March 2014 | 15 February 2015 | Active | North Sea Fleet |
| 855 | Tianshuxing (Dubhe) | Hudong,Shanghai | 28 July 2014 | 1 August 2015 | Active | South Sea Fleet |
| 852 | Haiwangxing (Neptune) | Hudong,Shanghai | 22 January 2015 | 26 December 2015 | Active | South Sea Fleet |
Type 815A
In January 2017, an improved Type 815G entered service with Chinese navy. Designated as Type 815A,[3] this further improved Type 815 can be visually distinguished from earlier Type 815G in the radome above the pilothouse: the radome of Type 815A is a cylinder with flat top surface,[4] while the top of cylinder radome of earlier Type 815G has a semi-sphere.[5]
| Pennant # | Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 856 | Kaiyangxing (Mizar) | Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding | 8 June 2016 | 10 January 2017 | Active | North Sea Fleet |
| 857 | Tianquanxing (Megrez) | Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding | 14 February 2017 | 2017 | Active | South Sea Fleet |
| 858 | Yuhengxing (Alioth) | Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding | 8 September 2017 | 2018 | Active | East Sea Fleet |
| 859 | Jinxing (Venus) | Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding | 3 February 2018 | 2018 | Active | North Sea Fleet |
