China Daily

China delivers warship to Algeria

- By ZHAO LEI zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn

China delivered a stealth corvette to the Algerian Navy last week, marking a new high in the nation’s export of military ships.

The C28A-class guided missile corvette was commission­ed by the Algerian Navy on July 12 at a port of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuildi­ng Group in Shanghai, becoming the third of its kind in the African country’s Navy.

The C28A-class corvette represents the highest technologi­cal level of China’s export warship, China Ship News reported, quoting shipbuildi­ng sources as saying it has the best combat capability and is very competitiv­e on the internatio­nal market.

With a displaceme­nt of 3,000 metric tons, the 120meter-long corvette can conduct offshore defense operations and long-distance combat tasks. It is larger than previous warships China has sold to foreign nations, has new equipment, a stealth design and a higher level of automation, sources told the newspaper.

It has a cruise speed of about 30 km/h and an operationa­l range of nearly 10,000 km, according to the report.

The C28A-class corvette, was designed by the Marine Design and Research Institute under China State Shipbuildi­ng Corp. In 2011, it defeated 10 competitor­s from eight countries for the Algerian Navy contract for three corvettes. The first C28A was delivered in September 2015 and the second this January.

Wu Qiang, general manager of China State Shipbuildi­ng Corp, the parent company of the Hudong-Zhonghua, told China National Radio at the commission­ing ceremony that the ship is a symbol of China’s achievemen­t.

“In the past, naval ships we sold to other countries mostly used foreign-developed weapons, but all of the weapons and radar installed on three C28As, including anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, torpedoes and naval guns, are domestical­ly developed,” he said. “The results of these C28A ships’ tests are very satisfacto­ry, and our clients are happy with their performanc­e.”

Ren Yi, chief designer of the C28A, was quoted by China Central Television as saying that the ship can perform reconnaiss­ance, aircraft and missile defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine operations, as well as maritime humanitari­an missions.

Gao Zhuo, a military observer in Beijing, told China Daily that China’ s new generation naval vessels are reliable, have outstandin­g combat capabiliti­es and are attractive in terms of price and operationa­l costs, making them good choices for developing nations.

 ??  ?? A C28A-class corvette
A C28A-class corvette

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