Type 815-class (Dongdiao)
Commissioned by China in 1999, the Type 815-class is an electronic reconnaissance ship distinguished by the large spherical radomes used to collect signals intelligence.
| Subtype | Spy ship |
| Displacement | 6000 tons |
| Crew | 250 members |
| Width | 16.4 m (53.8 ft) |
| Length | 130.0 m (426.5 ft) |
| Propulsion | diesel engine |
| Maximum speed | 20 knots |
- 1 x Type 76 twin 37 mm naval gun
- 2 x Type 61 twin 25 mm AA gun
- 1 helicopter
Description
The Type 815, along with its variants Type 815G and Type 815A, is a class of electronic surveillance ships operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The base Type 815 class is designated by NATO as the Dongdiao class, while the improved Type 815G and Type 815A variants are designated as the Dongdiao II class.
Designed as a successor to the Type 813, the Type 815 operated alongside the older class until the Type 813 was transferred to the Chinese Coast Guard. The first Type 815 vessel, initially named Dong-Diao and later renamed Polaris, entered service in late 1999. The Type 815G variant was introduced in 2009, and the Type 815A variant entered service in January 2017.
The vessels are configured for electronic intelligence collection and ballistic missile tracking. They feature a helicopter hangar. Several years after entering service, the first Type 815 vessel underwent a modification replacing its parabolic antennas with three large radomes. Visual differences distinguish the variants: the Type 815G features a pagoda-shaped mast and a more steeply curved sheer line than the base Type 815, while the Type 815A is distinguished from the Type 815G by a flat-topped cylindrical radome above the pilothouse rather than a cylindrical radome with a semi-spherical top.
The class is frequently deployed in the Taiwan Strait. Since 2017, the PLAN has used Type 815G vessels to monitor the biennial Talisman Saber military exercises in northern Australia, deploying Tianwangxing and Haiwangxing to the exercise in 2021. In May 2022, Haiwangxing conducted surveillance operations off northwestern Australia, transiting within 50 nautical miles of the Harold E Holt naval communications station. In 2024, Tianquanxing was deployed off the coast of Pingtung ahead of Taiwanese missile tests. In April 2025, Tianguanxing deployed alongside the aircraft carrier Shandong and the Type 055 destroyer Yan'an in response to the Balikatan 2025 exercises.