Type 909 weapon trials ship

The Type 909 is a class of Chinese auxiliary ship. Four were built for the People's Liberation Army Navy as weapon trial and oceanographic research ships.

History

The first ship, Bi Sheng, was completed as a weapons test range ship with Russian MR-90 "Front Dome" radar and electronic countermeasures. It operated as an electronic intelligence ship near Japan in February 2000 prior to PLAN exercises. Bi Sheng was converted into a weapon trial ship at the Wuhu shipyard, and received pennant number 891 in October 2002; while at the shipyard the hull was designated "Wuhu-B" by Western intelligence. Bi Sheng was equipped with "Top Plate" air search radar and "Front Dome" fire control radar and may have test fired the CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile in August 2012.
The design of the third ship, Zhan Tianyou, may have been a modified Type 636 hydrographic survey ship. It had a raised bow breakwater and an enclosed, instead of a lattice, foremast.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, by 2024 two were used as weapon trial ships and two were oceanographic research ships.

In 2015, Janes listed Zhan Tianyou and Li Siguang as Type 909s. By 2024, the United States Navy considered these ships to be Type 910 weapon trials ships.

Pennant number	Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status	Notes
851	Bi Sheng	Zhongua Shipyard		March 9, 1997		North Sea Fleet	Active	Launched with pennant number 909 and completed as 970. Pennant changed to 891 in October 2002.
852	Hua Luogeng	Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding		March 30, 2006		North Sea Fleet	Active	Former pennant number 892.
893	Zhan Tianyou			November 12, 2011		North Sea Fleet	Active
894	Li Siguang		2012	November 2013	October 2014	North Sea Fleet	Active