When the 054B frigate was launched, some people were worried about piling up electromagnetic guns, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, large radars, large-caliber vertical launch tubes, and doubling the number of launch tubes ...
This article explores mindsets.
Often netizens advise me to honestly talk about weapons, not to talk about politics, and not to predict the Russian-Ukrainian war. In fact, I never thought I was talking about weapons or military, nor history, literature, nor politics. I'm talking about mindsets.
For example, short take-off/vertical landing fighters have little dependence on runways and decks, which is a big advantage. But the short combat radius and small bomb load are also big disadvantages. What we are talking about is: everything is divided into two sides, there are advantages and there must be disadvantages, you can't just look at one side, you can't just look at the advantages or only look at the shortcomings.
Since there are advantages and disadvantages, it is necessary: trade-offs.
Some people only give up or give up because they only look at one side.
China has a large territory, aircraft carriers now also carry catapults, and there is no shortage of places for takeoff and landing fighters. However, the border and coastline are extremely long, and they need fighters with a large range to defend them. The advantages of short take-off / vertical landing fighters are not much attractive to China, but the disadvantages are unacceptable, so there will not be much prospects in China. China favors conventional takeoff and landing fighters, and it has to be as large as possible, J-20, J-16, large range, large bomb load.
Large range, large bomb load and short take-off / vertical landing cannot be combined, there is a trade-off.
For destroyers to fight in the ocean, they must be larger to carry as much fuel, ammunition, and materials as possible. But it is too big to fight in the near seas, so it is necessary to have a smaller warship, that is, a frigate.
Destroyers and frigates can be part-time. With a displacement of more than 6,000 tons, the Horizon-class destroyers can accompany aircraft carriers in both ocean-going and offshore operations. But more than 6 thousand tons, which is considered small among destroyers, and the ocean is inferior to other large destroyers. Compared with frigates, it is relatively large, and the offshore waters are not sensitive enough. The 7,000-ton 052C / D destroyer is the same as that it can be both offshore and offshore, but the ocean is a little small, and the offshore is a little big.
It can be both offshore and near-sea, and both offshore and offshore are very strong, and it can't be done!
If you want to cover everything, you must be almost meaningful. The good thing is to save money! Only 1 type of ship was built, and the work of destroyers and frigates was done together.
The 055 large drive has a displacement of 12,500 tons, and the ocean-going capacity is quite strong, but it is seriously not suitable for use in offshore waters, so it is necessary to build more than 5,000 tons of 054B, responsible for offshore waters, and this combination of combat effectiveness is the strongest and most expensive. 055 does not consider the offshore at all, can make the pile of materials, the effort is increased, itself is much more expensive than the horizon, 052C / D, but also have to develop 054B housekeeping, comprehensive is very expensive.
The ocean and the offshore are two sides, and the closer you get to the far ocean side, the farther away you are from the offshore side. The closer you get to the sea, the farther you get from the ocean. Leaning into the middle, both sides almost meaningful. There is no perfection. Isn't 055+054B perfect? Expensive! If you want to take combat effectiveness, you have to give up money.
The Burke-class destroyers weigh in tens of thousands of tons and are designed according to the ocean, not suitable for near seas. The United States does not worry about its own doorstep, but only about hitting other people's doorsteps. But other people's doorsteps are also offshore, and Burke-class destroyers are not suitable, so littoral combat ships were developed.
Littoral combat ships are completely indicators of frigates, but frigates are by definition guarding their own coastal waters, and the United States is hitting the coastal waters of other people's homes, so it was renamed Littoral Combat Ships. In essence, the United States is also a destroyer + frigate.
France and Italy take the Horizon-class destroyers as part-time frigates, 1 ship to do the work of 2 ships, it is completely possible, but the take is to save money, give up performance, both far and near.
The surface warships of the old Soviet Union piled up all kinds of weapons, and one ship did several jobs. The price is to do anything, not to do anything.
Large anti-ship missiles are laid on the deck of the aircraft carrier, which can be hit both with missiles and carrier-based aircraft. Conversely, missiles take up deck space, the number of carrier-based aircraft is small, and there are fewer missiles.
The United States disassembled its weapons and spread them out on multiple ships. Professional ships carry out professional tasks and bring professionalism to the extreme. Then put the ships of various specialties together, and the combat effectiveness is very strong. The price is to double the number of battleships and double the cost.
In the past, destroyers were divided into two categories: air defense destroyers and anti-submarine destroyers. Professional submarine destroyers and professional air defense destroyers work together, the effect is the best and most expensive. The Soviet Union had cruise (anti-ship) missile nuclear submarines, specialized in launching anti-ship missiles against surface warships. Combined with the torpedo nuclear submarine specializing in fighting submarines, the combat effectiveness is the strongest and most expensive.
After the end of the Cold War, all countries were keen to engage in part-time jobs, save money, and their combat effectiveness was reduced.
Anti-submarine destroyers have been knocked out, and now they are all air defense destroyers part-time anti-submarine. Old anti-submarine destroyers are still in service, there are no newly built. Japan pays great attention to anti-submarine, and the situation is special. The Asahi class anti-submarine destroyers are relatively new, and there are two Izumo-class anti-submarine helicopter carriers. With the exception of Japan, there are basically no anti-submarine destroyers.
Cruise missile nuclear submarines have also been canceled, and cruise missiles and torpedoes are integrated into one boat, mainly torpedoes.
Under the general trend of relative peace, you can consider part-time work and save money. If there is a danger of breaking out into a big war again, the special development of new cruise missile nuclear submarines, densely packed launch tubes, full of anti-ship missiles, professional surface warships, and then development of torpedo nuclear submarines, professional submarine fighting, the cooperation of the two submarines, is the strongest combat effectiveness.
Anti-ship ballistic missiles are a sharp weapon for attacking warships and aircraft carriers. Everyone always worries about loading on 055, and also worrying about loading on 054B. If a separate nuclear submarine is developed, which is specially equipped with 24 anti-ship ballistic missiles, and one boat is aimed at an aircraft carrier fleet, the effect is not comparable to that of destroyers and frigates.
Weapons can be stacked with more functions, and can do some part-time work. And now part-time jobs are prevalent: F15E, Su-30, J-16 are fighter part-time bombers, F16 fighters are part-time attack aircraft, and Merkava is tank part-time combat vehicles.
But understand:
Stacking materials, anything can be dry, not powerful.
The platform as a whole is fixed, and stacking this function will inevitably squeeze that function, all of which are divided into negative and negative aspects. It is impossible to do everything, everything is powerful, it can only be everything loose. The advantage is cheapness.
Weapons are all determined first, and then developed. The 95 rifle was first set to be short and sharp, suitable for the physical fitness of the Chinese, suitable for sitting in the car and shooting, and convenient to get on and off the car, and then it could be developed. The Type 15 tank was first set to be smaller and suitable for rapid deployment, and then it could be developed. The J-20 and J-16 must first be developed with a large range, a large bomb load, and a large block.
The big ones are destroyers, the small ones are frigates, which are also settled first.
If you want to pile up material for the 054B frigate, you also want not to squeeze other functions, you can only enlarge. The problem is that a frigate enlarged is a destroyer, and it cannot be used in the near seas. There are no battleships to escort off the coast, and it is necessary to build new frigates, and then worry about piling up weapons, and increase ...
The 054B has a displacement of more than 5,000 tons, the Horizon-class destroyer is only more than 6,000 tons, and the 052C / D destroyer has a displacement of 7,000 tons. A little bigger 054B is a destroyer. How good do you want to build destroyers directly, what are you doing in this circle? Thinking about the 054B pile is only looking at one side, and I don't realize that there is another side that is enlarged. Some people even think that 054B has unlimited piles of material but the size will not change, which is unscientific.
It can be like the horizon, unchanged in size, floating in a certain range, increasing functions, doing anything, not being strong.
The increase in functions must be strong, only the size can be increased, from frigates to destroyers, originally intended for use in the near seas, changed can not be used in the near seas, cut off from the root, this kind of thing will not happen, meaningless.
Simply put, it is normal to be able to do anything, almost anything. You can do anything, everything is strong, it is impossible to drop.
Disassemble, divide into majors, and then form a group, only powerful and expensive.
The Russian-Ukrainian war, Russian-made weapons show crotch-pulling, and China has bought it before, which worries many people and is completely unnecessary. In the past, China did not have an option to buy Russian-made weapons. Although only Russian-made weapons can be bought, American-made weapons are stronger than Russian-made ones, we understand. Therefore, when China itself has strength, it takes the completely American line and divides into specialties.
The 055 large drive + 054B frigate is a typical representative. 052C/D is a legacy of history.
However, in recent years, the United States has also been keen to engage in part-time work, and the F35 attack aircraft part-time fighter is completely to save money. And the J-20 is a purely professional fighter, inheriting the idea that the F14 and F15 are not bad money, as long as the strongest air combat capabilities. However, the problem is also obvious, China also needs a new generation of stealth attack aircraft (J-35) and tactical bombers (two-seat J-20), which are more expensive.
055 is quite strong in the field of destroyers, quite professional, but it is not possible to work part-time as a corvette, it is necessary to be accompanied by a professional corvette, the more professional the more you cannot work part-time. As a professional frigate, if you want to achieve the best results, you cannot work part-time as a destroyer.
Russian frigates have a displacement of 2,000 tons, and they are equipped with a lot of weapons in the same class. But this is because Russia has built only three or four frigates in the past 30 years, and has not built new destroyers. Russia takes three or four frigates as a part-time destroyer, and the overall is quite weak.
The Chinese armed forces follow the line of specialization, each performing its own duties and cooperating with each other. Fighting aircraft carriers has weapons for fighting aircraft carriers: their own aircraft carriers, fighters, attack nuclear submarines, anti-ship ballistic missiles. There are weapons in the ocean.
054B Do your own major well.
054B is a frigate.
A frigate is a light surface warship, that's how it is defined. It is used against submarines, missile boats, torpedo boats, gunboats, suicide boats and even fishing boats, fishing administration vessels of other countries.
Some people only see the United States and only know an aircraft carrier.
There are also Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and boats of various kinds, as well as transboundary fishing vessels and fishing administration vessels from other countries. Aren't these threats? The threat of U.S. aircraft carriers is a small probability, and these small threats are actually faced every day.
As a frigate, the probability of PK with the US aircraft carrier is one in a thousand. 999 per thousandth's job is to deal with invading submarines, as well as small boats and civilian ships of surrounding small countries. The amount of equipment of the frigate is still very large, it is necessary to carry out several dozen.
Anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, large radars are installed, vertical launch tubes are enlarged, and then doubled, more anti-ship missiles, long-range anti-aircraft missiles, and then dozens of ships are allowed to carry these things for many years to chase submarines, gunboats, fishing boats in the coastal waters ... It not only increases the cost for no reason, but also seriously affects the work.
Frigates are used in the near sea against submarines and small, high-speed surface targets. So it has to be smaller, it has to be fast, the reaction needs to be fast, the weapon must be fast. If it is enlarged, it becomes a destroyer, which is not only unsuitable for dealing with these targets, but also very dangerous in itself. It is precisely because destroyers cannot do these jobs that frigates were developed.
It is already remarkable to concentrate on doing your job well and catch an invading submarine. Against submarines, sonars, torpedoes, helicopters must be advanced enough. The corvette itself should be fast enough and silent. Against other surface boats and boats, the power of the 054B's 100mm caliber naval gun obviously exceeded the standard. As we said before, this "giant artillery" should be prepared to support landing operations.
Plus small radars, medium and short-range anti-aircraft missiles, close-in guns, supplemented by self-defense air defense, 8 anti-ship missiles, as a frigate, the firepower is already the strongest in the world.
Other jobs are done by ships with other specialties, and it is not good to work part-time.
This article we are talking about:
1. Look at both sides of everything.
2. There must be a trade-off between the two sides.
3. Single function, powerful in sub-specialty.
4. Part-time is not powerful.
5. Unlimited taking, reluctance, unlimited piling of materials, can do anything, everything is strong, good things are all their own, there is no harm, there is no existence.
There is also a common wrong thinking, like this 054B appearance, there are always people who are worried about changing it. There was also a 055 that had just debuted before, and some people were worried about what to change and what to do. The weapons are designed by the top designers and engineers together with the troops, and how many years to be demonstrated, how many years to develop, and they must be accepted by the troops and the state. It naturally makes sense to make weapons like this.
What military fans should do is fully understand why they do it and see the doorway inside. Instead of having a whim on your own, change this and that to others.
Formal service, a large number of equipped weapons, are the highest achievements of an era. Like 054B with a displacement of more than 5 thousand tons, a little larger is a destroyer. It has been done to the extreme, and not even a screw can be changed. Each screw has been tempered and fully tested and demonstrated.