PCFG Fast Attack Craft, Missile

China operated a number of missile boats over the years, including large numbers of locally procued versions of the Soviet Osa- and Komar-classes. The former were still active at the turn of the 21st century, but were in need of replacement. The large numbers of Type 022s being produced at a rapid pace could have led to the obvious conclusion that they were a modem SSM boat design with the old antiship missile (ASM) mission. The lack of the detection and track fire control radar and missile datalink Band Stand systems, which are associated with C-803/YJ-83 missiles on new construction 054 frigates and 052 Luyang DDGs, eliminated the idea that the Type 022s could carry newer C80x/YJ-8x series Mach 0.9 or supersonic long-range SSMs. The craft also has four launchers on the deck, possibly for defensive countermeasures.

The Huangfeng and Hoku missile boats had only manned twin 25mm gun mounts. On the Type 022, a Type 630 six-barrel CIWS is installed in a stealthy unmanned gun turret on the bow. The new 054 frigate and 052 DDGs have the Type 347G Rice Bowl as their CIWS fire control radar. These are large and too heavy for the small Type 022, so a 2-foot-diameter radar dish on the smaller boat appeared to be a tracking radar for the CIWS gun mount without the usual CIWS radar on top of the Type 730 CIWS.

Existing art for power boats typically includes a single rigid hull; such boats are referred to as "monohull" vessels. Typically, the hulls of such vessels have either a deeply V-shaped cross section, which cuts deeply into the water and provides a relatively smooth ride through the water at the cost of high fuel consumption, or they have a flatter hull configuration that allows the vessel to plane, thereby reducing fuel consumption while providing a less smooth ride.

Existing art for boats also includes vessels constructed with two, three, or more hulls. These boats are referred to as catamarans, trimarans, or generally as multihull vessels. Multihull vessels have the advantage of more lateral stability than a monohull vessel, but with a wetted surface area that is normally higher than that of a monohull vessel of similar size.

During the 1990s, the PLAN planned two additional classes of fast-attack craft to counter the growing number and sophistication of Taiwan's fast-attack craft force. One indigenous design was a small hydrofoil missile boat with a top speed of 50 knots. This new class was armed with a 30mm gun and either four YJ7-1 or four YJ8-1 surface-to-surface missiles.

Assuming the pre-existing force structure of 150 missile-and gun-equipped fast-attack craft, the Chinese Navy's future force was speculated to include 30 of the initially unnamed 50-ton Class. As of 2008 PLAN missile boat production appeared to be more focused around Type 022 Houbei production, with no reports of the projected hydrofoil missile boat entering production.