Type 037I (Haiqing)

Type 037I Haiqing was an improved branch of the Type 037 submarine-chaser family. It continued the PLAN's focus on small, locally supportable ASW craft while updating sensors and layout from the earlier Hainan baseline. The class sits between first-generation coastal chasers and later missile-focused variants.

Haiqing retained the compact corvette/submarine-chaser concept with diesel propulsion, guns, sonar and ASW weapons. Improvements centered on mission equipment and hull refinements rather than turning the class into a large frigate. The technical profile remained practical: search for submarines near the coast, protect bases and support patrol forces.

In service, Haiqing-class vessels filled routine local-defense and ASW patrol missions. They mattered because coastal navies need numerous small ships to keep watch, train crews and respond quickly. As PLAN modernization accelerated, such craft became less central but still illustrate the layered structure of Chinese coastal defense.