China's new fast missile attack boat

The PLA Navy 2208 boat under sea trial near Shanghai



When travelling at a high speed, the hull of the boat is lifted up to above the water surface to reduce the water resistance



The hull of the boat 2208 bears apparent radar-cross-section (RCS) reduction features. The aft structure may house two to four anti-ship cruise missiles



The 2208 boat was first seen in Qiuxin Shipyard at Shanghai in April 2004

Water-Piercing Catamaran FAC (2208)

The PLA Navy has launched a new missile fast attack craft (FAC) based on a unique wave-piercing catamaran hull with apparent stealthy features. The vessel, carrying the pennant number 2208, was first seen in Qiuxin Shipyard, Shanghai in April 2004. No further building of similar vessels has been identified so far. The boat 2208 might merely serve as a technical demonstration platform, based on which new concepts and technologies could be tested.

The most unique feature of the boat 2208 is its wave-piercing catamaran hull design, which provides both high speed performance as well as good stability. When travelling at a high speed, the water-piercing body lifts the hull up above the water surface to reduce the resistance of water. The vessel is therefore virtually �flying� on the water surface. At the same time, the much wider catamaran hull is much more stable comparing to the conventional single-hull design, which will be an advantage for the operation of weapon systems and sensors.

Boat 2208 seems to be derived from similar civil wave-piercing catamaran high-speed boats build by the same shipyard. Qingxin may have learned considerable experience from the building of these civil boats. The boat 2208 is likely to be an ambitious adventure by Qingxin shipyard. Should it becomes successful, this design will certainly bring a revolution to the design of modern FACs.

The boat 2208 represents some new concepts in the future tactical principles of the PLA Navy. While investing heavily on the building of a �blue water� fleet capable of fighting far from shore, the PLA Navy is probably testing a new tactic of using a large number of high-speed, stealthy FACs carrying long-range anti-ship cruise missiles to launch sudden strikes against surface targets. Additionally, the vessel could be used in together with sea-based, airborne, and space-based sensors to form a wider networked platform and sensor grid. This network might prove particularly effective in offshore shallow waters such as Taiwan Strait.

No details on the weapon systems and sensors onboard boat 2208 is available. Judging from its appearance, the vessel probably carries four anti-ship missiles and one Russian AK-630 30mm close-in weapon system (CIWS).

impresive

what would the crew number be on one of these things ( estimate )

you guess is as good as mine... but I estimate around 12 at the most

What strikes me is the small size of the vessel... like the early british torpedo boats in WWII which often were used against destroyers and other ships many times their size, due to their speed and manouverability/difficulty to pinpoint and sink.

DO you know how fast it goes? An do you know of any more websites with more info?

[edit on 16-10-2004 by blue cell]

New image for you all... according to the latest rumors, some analysts now believe it can carry up to 8 anti-ship missiles, or 2-4 supersonic missiles