At AAD 2014 CSOC showcased OPV, LPD and Aircraft Carrier designs from China

: Posted On Thursday, 25 September 2014 11:19

Naval Industry News - China

At AAD 2014 CSOC showcased OPV, LPD and Aircraft Carrier designs from China

At AAD 2014 (Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition which took place from the 17 to 21 September in South Africa) the China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company (CSOC) showcased its P-18N Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) and its LPD/LHD design. The booth also featured a scale model of China's aircraft carrier Liaoning. CSOC is part of the part of the State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC).

Model of the P18N OPV on the CSOC stand during AAD 2014

P18N Offshore Patrol Vessel

CSOC's P18N OPV design has already been selected by the Navy of Nigeria who ordered two vessels.

At AAD 2014, a representative from CSOC gave us the following specifications:
P18N Offshore Patrol Vessels have a displacement of 1,700 tons, a length of 95 m, width of 12.2 m and beam of 3.5 m. It is powered by two MTU 20V 4000M diesel engines. The maximum speed is 21 knots. The endurance of the vessel is 20 days at sea (range 3000 nautical miles at 14 knots) for a crew of 70 sailors.

Sensors include:
- TR47 Tracking Radar
- SR60 Surveillance Radar
- Navigation radar (of chinese origin)
- PJ46 Decoy launchers
- 2x communication antennas under radomes
- UHF/VHF radios
The class is not fitted with sonars.

The Combat Management Systems (CMS) was developped by the Wuhan Digital Engineering Institute.

These OPVs are fitted with a H/PJ26 76mm main gun mount and two H/PJ14 30mm gun mounts. The class may accomodate a Z- 9 helicopter thanks to its helipad. Only rotary UAVs may fit inside the hangar space however.

Launch of the first P18N OPV for Nigerian Navy in Wuhan, China in January 2014

In April 2012, Nigeria signed a contract with China to build two P18N OPVs. Under the contract, the lead ship was to be built in Wuhan with construction starting in October 2012, while the second unit is expected to be partially built in Nigeria.

Navy Recognition was told that the P18N was designed by China Ship Design and Research Center, or 701 Institute of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) at the Wuhan University of Science and Technology,

The first vessel which was launched in January 2014 in Wuhan, China, is currently conducting sea trials. An institute will provide training to the Nigeria Navy crew in China. The OPV will then sail to Nigeria for its official delivery.

Poster showing the LPD/LHD design on CSOC stand during AAD 2014

LPD/LHD
The CSOC stand was also featuring an LHD design. Called "LPD" by CSOC, this design is similar to the one we first discovered during IDEX last year. Read our article at this link to learn more about the specifications of the vessel.

Liaoning aircraft carrier scale model on CSOC stand during AAD 2014

Aircraft Carrier
At the center of their stand, CSOC was showcasing a scale model of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Aircraft Carrier Liaoning (CV-16). The CSOC representative explained to Navy Recognition that the model was on display in order to show potential customers that CSOC has the ability to work on very large and complex project such as aircraft carriers. CSOC, 701 Institute and Wuhan Digital Engineering Institute were all involved in the refurbishing of the Chinese aircraft carrier.