This unsophisticated class is relatively well-armed for its size and is the most widely built and exported Chinese naval vessel in terms of numbers.

Specification: Also referred as “81 gunboat (81炮艇)”, construction begun in November 1958 at Naval Shipyard 301 (current Plant No.

The L-12V-180 diesel engines used on the Type 062 were prone to overheating, thirsty for fuel and had a poor working life.

The new engine was more fuel efficient and had a longer life, but rated only 910 horsepower (680 kW), resulting in a maximum speed of only 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph).

A number have been exported to foreign customers, with most still remaining in service: Fushun-class minesweeper was developed from the Shanghai II-class gunboat.

This minesweeper version had a reduced armament, with mine-sweeping gear replacing some of the weapons.

Significantly more Shanghai III-class gunboats have entered service in foreign navies than in the People's Liberation Army Navy, and the ones in the Chinese inventory are mainly used for training foreign crews, and not all export boats have the same configuration due to different customers' requirements.

The Haizhui-class submarine chaser is based on the Type 062I-class gunboat and entered service in the early 1960s.