A production run put at 58 Chinese ships, with more expected and Pakistani orders additional, helps explain the lower unit cost. Similar continuity is an aim of the American frigate effort and Britain's Type 31 frigate-factory approach. Repeating an established design gives shipyards work on which to train an expanding workforce. The ship still has to be demanding enough to develop those skills while remaining practical for trainees to build. The Type 054 continues lessons from the Type 053.
Notable Point · 8:28-10:23
What a long Type 054 production run buys
Repeated Type 054 construction reduces unit cost and trains shipyard workers while building on the Type 053.