New trendsetter: either a cruiser or a destroyer of project 055
Symbol of the new Chinese military fleet may for years become the benchmark that all the shipbuilders of the world will look at, because this ship is really good. Today, Project 055 destroyers are the most modern and combat-ready ships of the PLA Navy, and quite possibly the best ships of this class in the world.
John Trevithick, known for his sober views on ships, and I will try to look at the new Chinese destroyer cruiser from the point of view of American competitors.
True, to which class to attribute "Nanchan" is not all that simple. Yes, the Chinese call 055 destroyers, but in terms of displacement and armament, these are ships that can not only withstand, but definitely be head and shoulders above the old projects such as the American Ticonderoga and the Soviet Atlanta.
There is something. A destroyer with a displacement of 13 tons will carry more weapons than a Soviet cruiser (displacement 000 tons) or an American cruiser (displacement 11 tons). If you look at these figures, then the Ticonderoga looks quite like a destroyer against the background of 500, and the Russian Atlant is not so much inferior, but ...
The whole question is in the "stuffing". It is clear that the Ticonderoga, the most recent of which will soon celebrate its thirtieth birthday, even taking into account the upgrades, is not a competitor to the Chinese ship, which is brand new. We are simply silent about the two Project 1164 cruisers remaining at the disposal of the Russian Navy. History with "Moscow" perfectly showed everyone what the combat value of the former Soviet ships, financed all their lives according to the residual principle, is.
But we are talking about Chinese ships, which the leadership of the Chinese fleet is seriously counting on in the future. And the fact that there is a future, there is no need to tell here, we all understand this very well. And we understand why the two newest Project 055 ships are currently engaged in combat training near Taiwan.
Recently, a lot of pictures appeared on the Web, more precisely, screenshots from the Chinese television broadcast dedicated to the next anniversary of the formation of the PRC armed forces, which bloggers happily distributed through the Weibo network. The footers on all the pictures include the numbers "1927" and "2022", which indicates that this is indeed a broadcast from August 1, which in China is like ours on February 23.
The PLA traces its history back to the uprising that took place on August 1, 1927 in Nanchang. The city after which the lead ship of the 055 series is named.
Currently, the PLA Navy has already received six such ships. Two more are on the water in the process of being completed, and about ten are at various stages of construction.
As a result, according to its shipbuilding program, China should receive 16 such destroyers.
Yes, 16 of these destroyers are not a cant of the American Arleigh Burks, but a decent force. And, since we are talking about the Arleigh Burke, then the third iteration of these ships will have a displacement of about 10 tons and smaller dimensions than the Nanchang. What in the eyes of the Americans elevates the project 800 to the category of cruisers.
But the ship is not rich in size alone. In terms of armament, Nanchang's 112 vertical launch system cells are more than on an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (96 cells), although slightly less than on a Ticonderoga-class cruiser (122 cells). This is also higher on the Zamwalt-class destroyers (80 cells), which are generally larger than Chinese 055s.
The cell design used on the Type 055, which is also used on the Type 052D destroyers, differs markedly from the Mk.41 and Mk.57 systems used on current generation US Navy warships.
The cells used in the Chinese universal system are larger than their American counterparts, a by-product of their ability to launch both hot- and cold-launched missiles. A hot-launch rocket is characterized in that the main rocket engine is fired inside the launcher, while a cold-launch rocket is ejected using a propellant charge or other pressurized gas generator before the main engine starts.
It's not entirely clear how hot start works, but it appears that heat-resistant shells are loaded into the launch cells. This could eliminate the need for any dedicated duct to deflect flame from the rocket engine. This is not visible on the pictures, which means that the cells are really universal and allow you to launch missiles of both types. Yes, you have to pay for this in size, and if the Chinese used only cold-start missiles on their ships, then the number of cells in the UVP could be much larger than that of the Ticonderoga.
The pictures show that indeed there are no outlet channels for the flame.
Flames are seen erupting from a channel in the middle of the VLS Mk.41 system on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John Paul Jones when an SM-6 missile is hot fired.
The second picture shows a missile launch on the destroyer Farragut of the same family. The picture clearly shows the flame outlet chute.
Although it is quite possible that the ventilation ducts and flame arresters are simply not visible in the pictures. And the cautious Chinese are in no hurry to publish detailed videos of missile launches.
In any case, the type 055 destroyer's CWP systems are designed in such a way that they can be loaded with various types of missiles. The system is reportedly capable of firing missiles from the YJ-18 and CJ-10 land-based and anti-ship cruise missile families, YJ-83 anti-ship cruise missiles, HQ-16 and HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, and anti-submarine rocket-propelled torpedoes. Yu-8. torpedo Yu-8.
The DK-10 surface-to-air missile, developed for export and not yet adopted by the PLA, can also be launched from these cells. American intelligence officers have information that China is working on the creation of a ballistic missile under the Nanchane air defense system.
In addition, a launcher for 24 HQ-10 short-range air defense missiles was installed on the roof of the helicopter hangar.
This is a very successful copier from the American RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), which is in service with the US Army and Navy. The HQ-10 is also designed to counter anti-ship cruise missiles.
In addition to launch cells, the Nanchan has a 130mm H/PJ-38 gun in the nose turret, as well as an 11-barreled 30mm H/PJ-11 Close Combat System (CIWS) forward of the main superstructure.
Aviation armament consists of two Harbin Z-9 helicopters, for which hangars were designed, but the Nanchang flight deck is sized to accommodate larger Z-20FS.
The Z-20 appears to be a complete clone of the American Sikorsky UH-60 "Black Hawk" helicopter, visually distinguished mainly by its five-blade main rotor.
Not surprising, given that in the 80s, China bought 24 Sikorsky S-70C-2 helicopters, an export-commercial version of the UH-60 helicopter, which still serve in the PLA's army aviation.
The defensive armament of the Nanchang consists of four Type 726 defensive launchers, which are located in pairs on both sides of the aft part of the ship's superstructure.
These 24-cell launchers can be loaded with flares, jamming cartridges, decoys and decoys, RF jammers, anti-submarine missiles and small depth charges.
Part of the defensive means is designed to fight primarily against anti-ship missiles, and anti-submarine missiles and bombs - for defense against submarines and combat divers.
Shot installation Type 726 on the destroyer of the previous project 052D
A very interesting feature that the Americans have not yet figured out is the square antennas installed along the edge of the upper part of the Nanchang bridge.
This design feature of the Project 055 destroyers has not been conclusively identified, and various sources suggest that it may be a key part of the ship's electronic warfare system.
Indeed, most likely, the way it is, this array of rectangular antennas installed above the Nanchang bridge, characteristic of all destroyers of the 055 type, was installed there for a reason. But the Chinese know how to keep their secrets, so experts can only make assumptions that this is part of a complex to suppress the radar seeker of anti-ship missiles.
Of course, ships such as the Type 055 have electronic warfare (EW) and electronic support (ESM) systems. That is, destroyers are capable of detecting, tracking and classifying potentially hostile radars and other signal sources, and jamming them.
EW / ESM systems are fixed antenna arrays installed on the lower sides of the main bow superstructure and on both sides of the hangars.
What the ship “looks” at is a dual-band (C / S) radar type 346B “Dragon Eye” with four active phased antenna arrays, supplemented by an X-band system, mounted on a mast. An X-band fire control radar with four AFARs is installed on the mast. The ships are also equipped with navigation radars and air traffic control radars (TACAN, UHF and VHF), also located on the mast.
In general, American experts note a significant saturation of ships with radio electronics.
There is, however, one minus in comparison with world analogues. The imagery lacks the long-range antenna domes found on warships. The images show small satellite communications antennas, which suggests that Chinese ships are not planned to conduct operations at significant distances from their communications, where long-range communication is required. This is certainly not such a pressing issue when operating at a regional level, but given that China has global ambitions for its navy, and especially the 055 type, it is worth considering.
As a result, destroyers 055 are very modern and well-equipped ships, on which the Chinese naval command relies in the implementation of its plans. The speed with which the Chinese are building these ships is a testament to the impressive shipbuilding industry that the country has been able to build to support its navy modernization goals.
Last year, the Nanchan became the first destroyer of the project to go on a campaign as an escort for an aircraft carrier of the PLA Navy. This is expected to be a major role for the entire class, especially as China's carrier fleet grows (and no one doubts it will). That is, destroyers pr.055 will become the basis for the creation of the Chinese AUG to perform combat missions in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, they will be important components of other groups of surface ships tasked with operating away from the coast of China, and will also be able to conduct independent operations.
Given all this, it is not at all surprising that the plan for the modernization of the PLA Navy provides for the construction of a significant number of such ships and their operation in the interests of the PRC. For example, demonstrations of force in the Taiwan area.
If you look at what they write in the Huanqiu Ribao newspaper (which is the Global Times), which is a structural subdivision of the People's Daily newspaper, an organ of the Communist Party of China, then they talked about the continuation of exercises in the Taiwan area, including , with rocket launches.
Of course, it's worth noting that the Type 055 has yet to demonstrate any of its claimed capabilities in actual combat of any kind. It is also unclear what standards these destroyers and their various subsystems were built to. In June italian news defense news website Geopolitica.info published an article saying that the Pakistani navy is experiencing significant problems with its Chinese-made Zulfiqar-class frigates, with problems affecting various key systems, including their engines, weapons systems and sensors.
The Zulfiqar design is an improved derivative of the 053H3, designed specifically for Pakistan. True, the Italians did not provide any evidence, so taking it on faith or not is up to everyone who reads it. Of course, ships that are unknown and untested in battle can carry many different
This report remains unconfirmed, but it is a reminder that there are many unknowns as to how capable China's new warships actually are, despite how impressive they may look or what their data is on paper.
However, it may turn out the other way around: despite all the expectations and forecasts in the West, Project 055 destroyers may turn out to be not just warships, but good warships. And there is a chance that they can take the place of the best in their class. Although, by and large, there are not so many representatives in the class.
More importantly, the ambitions of the PRC are supported by quite modern ships of the new construction. This is serious, especially considering the fact that the construction of these ships is not an isolated matter, but quite a serial construction. Six ships for four years in service - some countries (unfortunately, Russia) cannot boast of such a pace of construction in principle. After all, the construction of a destroyer is a somewhat more complicated matter than the construction of corvettes and small missile ships.
Since the seventies of the last century, ships (except aircraft carriers) have been constantly decreasing in size. And the beginning of everything was laid after the end of the Second World War, when the re-evaluation of ship classes began. It is possible that Chinese destroyers will begin to move upward, since ships capable of operating at a considerable distance from their bases must be able to do more than their predecessors.
The Americans are closely watching the development of the PLA Navy, as they consider this fleet the first threat at sea. Of course, they would be interested in getting more detailed data on the combat capabilities of these ships, and for two reasons at once.
The first is to know what to expect from these ships, since it is quite possible that they will have to be faced. Somewhere in the territorial waters of Taiwan.
The second is that after the failure of the program with the Zamvolts, something must be done in terms of replacing the Arly Berkovs, the first of which has been serving since 1991, and the last since 2012. That is, sooner or later they will have to change. By that time, it will definitely become clear how good Chinese destroyers are.
In the end, the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system was adopted by the US Army. Why not look at Chinese ships? Moreover, project 055 is a very interesting and promising ship.
Who knows how it will all end, but today China is demonstrating such a development of its military-industrial complex that it will not be surprising if either a destroyer or a cruiser of the PLA Navy becomes an example to follow.
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