BPS-500 missile boat vs Type 23 frigate

FORCETALLY

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AWarships

BPS-500 missile boat

Guided-missile corvette

Type 23 frigate — licensed reference photograph

BWarships

Type 23 frigate

Anti-submarine warfare frigate

Credit

Vicki Benwell, Royal Navy · OGL v1.0 · Resized · OGL v1.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

BPS-500 missile boatLength

62 m

Length source ↗

Type 23 frigateLength

133 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

BPS-500 missile boatlarger figure on 0 of 3

None

Type 23 frigatelarger figure on 3 of 3

Length+115%
Beam+46%
Draught+192%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

16 of 34 rows sourced on both sides

62m

133m

Length+115%

All recorded figures & sources

62 m

Length

Single source

62 metres (203.4 ft )^[source]

133 m

Length

Single source

Configuration

Details

BPS-500 missile boat and Type 23 frigate configuration
Specification	BPS-500 missile boat	Type 23 frigate
Power	2 × MTU diesel engine for 19,600 bhp (14,600 kW); 2 x Kamewa pump-jets^[source]	CODLAG : 4 × 1,510 kW (2,025 hp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators (Non-PGMU ships) 4 × 1,650 kW (2,210 shp) MTU 12V4000 M53 diesel generators (PGMU ships) 2 × GEC electric motors delivering 2,980 kW (3,996 hp) each 2 × Rolls-Royce Marine Spey SM1C delivering 19,500 kW (26,150 hp)^[source]
Name	BPS-500 class^[source]	Type 23 frigate^[source]
Operators	Vietnam People's Navy^[source]	Royal Navy Chilean Navy^[source]
Built	1998–2001, 2025–present^[source]

In commission	2001–present^[source]	24 November 1987^[source]

Planned	4^[source]	16^[source]

On order	3^[source]	—

Building	3^[source]	—

Completed	1^[source]	16^[source]

Active	1^[source]	5 Royal Navy, 3 Chilean Navy^[source]

Laid up	2^[source]	—

Retired	0^[source]	8 (Royal Navy)^[source]

Type	Guided-missile corvette^[source]	Anti-submarine warfare frigate^[source]

Tonnage	850 tons (full load)^[source]	—

Sensors & processing systems	MR-352 ("Cross Dome") search radar MR-123 ("Bass Tilt") fire control radar^[source]	—

Armament	1 x AK-176 76 mm gun 1 x AK-630 30 mm CIWS 2 x 12.7 mm machine guns Anti-ship missiles 8 x Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles ( Ship 381 ) 8 x VCM-01 anti-ship missiles (from A2 onward) 1 x 9K38 Igla MANPADS^[source]	Anti-air missiles: 1 × 32-cell Sea Ceptor GWS 35 Vertical Launching System (VLS) canisters for 32 missiles (1–25+ km) (replaced original Sea Wolf SAM) Anti-ship missiles: 2 × quad Harpoon Block 1C (originally fit, retired from most ships 2023, retained on F229 as of late 2024); being replaced by Naval Strike Missile (fit to F79, F82 & F239 as of early 2025) Anti-submarine torpedoes: 2 × twin 12.75 in (324 mm) Sting Ray torpedo tubes Guns: 1 × BAE 4.5-inch Mk 8 naval gun 2 × 30 mm DS30M Mk2 guns , or , 2 × 30 mm DS30B guns 2 × Miniguns (replaced by Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns as of 2023) 4 × General-purpose machine guns^[source]

National origin	Russia^[source]	—

Alternative designation	BPS-500^[source]	—

Builders	—	Yarrow Shipbuilders and Swan Hunter^[source]

Preceded by	—	Type 22-class frigate^[source]

Succeeded by	—	Type 26-class frigate Type 31-class frigate^[source]

Cost	—	£130 million per ship^[source]

Boats & landing craft carried	—	2 × Pacific 24 RIBs^[source]

Electronic warfare & decoys	—	UAT Mod 1 Seagnat Type 182 towed torpedo decoy Surface Ship Torpedo Defence^[source]

Aircraft carried	—	1 × Wildcat HMA2 , armed with: 2 × anti-submarine torpedoes or Martlet anti-ship (ASM)/air-to-air missiles , initially deployed with RN carrier strike group helicopters in 2021; Sea Venom ASM reached initial operating capability in 2025 and is projected to achieve full operational capability in 2026. or 1 × Westland Merlin HM2 , armed with; 4 × anti-submarine torpedoes Plus 2 x Peregrine ISR UAV (from mid-2024 on F229)^[source]