On April 8, 2026, the official commissioning ceremony of the Chinese-built Konkopd Senchey corvette (tail number "622") of project 056C took place at the main Cambodian naval base Ream. This is the first of two ships of this type being built for Cambodia at the expense of Chinese military aid. The second ship is expected to arrive in Cambodia in June. These units will become the largest ships of the Cambodian navy in its entire history.
The ceremony of commissioning the Chinese-built Konkopd Senchey corvette (tail number "622") of project 056C into the Cambodian Navy. Ream, 04/08/2026 (c) Weibo / @
In 2024, the Government of Cambodia announced that China would build two Project 056C corvettes to assist the Cambodian armed forces. The construction of both ships was carried out, presumably, at the Dalian Liaoning South Shipyard (also known as the 4810th PLA Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant) in Liushun (Port Arthur). The lead Concopd Senchey corvette built for Cambodia entered factory sea trials there in early October 2025, and arrived in Ream with a Cambodian crew on April 4, 2026. The name of the lead ship translates as "The Victorious Army of Kahkong" (Kahkong is a province in southwestern Cambodia).
The corvette of project 056C is a slightly enlarged version of the previously massively built corvettes of projects 056 and 056A for the PLA Navy. From 2013 to 2021, 22 Project 056 corvettes and 50 modified Project 056A corvettes were built at four Chinese shipbuilding enterprises for the PLA Navy. Since 2021, all 22 corvettes of the "clean" project 056 have been transferred from the PLA Navy to the Chinese Coast Guard.
The new 056C corvettes built for Cambodia are characterized by increased displacement (estimated total 1,600 tons versus 1,500 tons for 056A) and length (95 meters versus 88.9 meters for 056/056A). The increase in length made it possible to create a forecastle superstructure and place on it two 30-mm six-barreled type 630 anti-aircraft artillery complexes of a new design (observed for the first time). The SR2410C export general detection radar, TR47C export fire control radar and modern electro-optical fire control systems are also installed on the 056C project ship. The rest of the weapons correspond to the ships of the PLA Navy project 056A, including four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles (not yet installed on the lead ship), the HHQ-10 short-range anti-aircraft missile system, the 76-mm H/PJ-26 universal artillery system, two 324-mm three-tank torpedo tubes for anti-submarine torpedoes, two complexes shot interference. In the aft part there is a runway for the Z-9C helicopter (without a hangar). A feature of the Cambodian ships is also believed to be the absence of a towed gas tank (installed on the 056A project) and the placement of semi-rigid motorboats in the aft part of the compartment instead to accommodate semi-rigid motorboats that are quickly lowered through the aft gates.
China is providing significant cooperation in the modernization of the armed forces, and, in particular, the Cambodian Navy. In particular, the modernization of the Ream naval base carried out by China was completed in 2025. On April 5, 2025, the Chinese-Cambodian Navy Joint Support and Training Center officially opened in Ream. It is worth noting that according to the agreement between the two countries, since December 2023, two Project 056A corvettes of the PLA Navy have been permanently based in Ream on rotation. It is characteristic that the Cambodian corvette of project 056C received the tail number "622" in the line of numbers of the Chinese ships of project 056A.
The ceremony of commissioning the Chinese-built Konkopd Senchey corvette (tail number "622") of project 056C into the Cambodian Navy. Ream, 04/08/2026 (c) The Nation and www.facebook.com
Chinese-built Concopd Senchey corvette (tail number "622") of project 056C for the Cambodian Navy during sea trials, October 2025 (c) Weibo
