Author: A Ma
Speaking of the handle of the Chinese destroyer, it must be the Type 055 destroyer. The comprehensive capabilities of this destroyer have reached the world-class level.
Type 055 destroyer
After decades of technological precipitation and development, the Chinese Navy's equipment is changing with each passing day, and on the basis of the development of the 051 series and 052 series, the destroyer has successfully developed the Type 055 destroyer, which has brought the equipment level of the Chinese Navy's warships to a new height.
The Type 055 destroyer is 180 meters long, more than 20 meters wide, 44 meters high, has a draft of 8 meters and a displacement of 13,000 tons. The ship is equipped with a 112-cell vertical launch system, which can launch several types of anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and anti-submarine missiles. The main gun is an H/PJ-45A 130 mm naval gun, and it is also equipped with HHQ-10 short-range anti-aircraft missiles, 1130 naval guns and other weapons. The ship uses four CGT-25M gas turbines in parallel layout, each with a power of 27 megawatts, for a total power of 110 megawatts, as a result, the maximum speed of the Type 055 destroyer reached an astonishing 35 knots.
Nanchangshu
The main reasons why the Type 055 destroyer can be called a world leader are the following reasons:
One is big. The Type 055 destroyer has a full load displacement of 13,000 tons, which has reached the level of a cruiser in the usual sense. Such tonnage means that the Type 055 destroyer can carry more equipment, equipment and supplies, and the living conditions of personnel have also been greatly improved, allowing it to carry out a variety of ocean-going combat missions.
The second is new. The Type 055 destroyer is equipped with a number of new technologies and integrates the latest technological developments in China. The vertical launch system, missile weapon system, radar system, and electronic equipment are all relatively advanced. For example, the 055 is the world's first warship to install a four-band AESA radar system, in addition to the X-band and S-band AESA radar, but also the C-band and L-band AESA radar, with powerful near-range search, target guidance and anti-stealth capabilities.
Vertical launcher of Type 055
The third is all. The Type 055 destroyer is equipped with 130 mm naval guns, 1130 naval guns, Haihongqi-10 short-range anti-aircraft missiles, and 112 universal vertical launch systems.
With an inner diameter of 850 mm and a depth of 9 meters, the vertical firing system can use larger ammunition and has the ability to fire two rounds in one pit, four rounds in one pit, and hot and cold co-launch. This shows that this type of ship can use a variety of air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and ground-to-ground missiles according to the needs of the mission, and has the capabilities of regional air defense and anti-missile, long-range anti-ship, submarine attack, land strike, and even anti-satellite combat. This gives this type of ship a new domain and new qualitative combat capability, and expands the role of the Chinese Navy in carrying out diversified tasks.
Type 055 ship No. 3
Type 052 destroyer
The 052 series destroyer is a first-class destroyer that is extremely important for the development of the Chinese Navy, and it is a sign that the destroyers of the Chinese Navy are beginning to modernize.
In the 80s of the last century, there was a very large gap between the equipment level of the Chinese Navy and the world powers. The warships of the Chinese Navy are far behind in radar, sonar, air defense systems, anti-submarine systems, and power systems. At that time, the main force of the Chinese Navy was still the Type 051 missile destroyer and the Type 053 missile frigate. These two warships have certain anti-ship capabilities, but their air defense and anti-submarine capabilities are very poor, and they can even rely on artillery for air defense operations. In such a situation, the Chinese Navy began to develop Type 052 destroyers.
Type 052B destroyer
A total of two Type 052 destroyers were built. It was delivered to the Chinese Navy in 1994 and 1996 respectively. They are the "Harbin" ship with the board number 112 and the "Qingdao" ship with the board number 113, with a displacement of more than 4,000 tons. These two warships were the first modern multi-purpose combat ships built by the Chinese Navy to use Western weapons, power and sensors, and were the face of the Chinese Navy at that time, with anti-ship, air defense, anti-submarine and other combat capabilities.
The "Harbin" ship is also called "China's first ship." The ship is powered by American-made LM2500 gas turbines and German-made MTU 20V956 TB92 diesel engines, and is equipped with French "Sidewinder" ship-to-air missiles, French TSR 3004 "Sea Tiger" air/sea search radar, Dutch RAPIDS electronic support system and RAMSES electronic countermeasure system, Italian DE-1160B bow MF sonar and French helicopter landing assistance system.
052 destroyer 113 ship
Due to the inability to introduce LM2500 gas turbines in the future, the construction program of the Type 052 destroyer came to an end. Subsequently, China developed the Type 052B destroyer. The Type 052B destroyer was developed on the basis of absorbing the technology of the Hyundai-class destroyers, and a total of two were built, both of which were commissioned in 2004. The 052B is powered by 2 UGT25000 gas turbines and 2 MTU-12V1163-TB83 diesel engines, with a maximum speed of 32 knots.
The Type 052B destroyer adopts a high freeboard, square-tail ship and stealth design, with a length of 154 meters, a width of 16 meters, a standard displacement of 5,200 tons, and a staff of 280 people, with strong air defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine combat capabilities.
The biggest feature of this type of ship is that it is equipped with two 3S-90 single-arm ship-to-air missile launchers, which can launch 9M317 ship-to-air missiles, making the Chinese Navy have regional air defense capabilities for the first time. The appearance of the Type 052B destroyer has tested the hull structure, power, electronic equipment, etc. for the construction of the follow-up ship, and has accumulated valuable experience for the construction of the follow-up ship.
052C lead ship Lanzhou
At the same time as the construction of 052B, China began the R&D and construction of 052C. A total of 6 ships of this class were built. Among them, the famous 170 "Lanzhou" ship is known as the "first ship of China Aegis". The main features of this class of ships are the installation of the Type 346 phased array radar known as the Chinese Aegis, the vertical hair system that can launch the Haihongqi-9, and the domestic model that UGT25000 gas turbines.
After the installation of these domestic equipment, the reliability was not good, and there were obvious problems in the system coordination, which took a certain amount of time to improve. Therefore, two ships of this class were built first, and only after the power, radar and missile systems were gradually perfected and adapted, four more ships were built. It can be said that 052C tested a large number of new domestic equipment and technologies, laying the foundation for the mass production of subsequent domestic shield ships.
With the stabilization and improvement of these domestic equipment, the Chinese Navy began to build Type 052D destroyers. With a displacement of more than 7,000 tons, the class is equipped with an improved Type 346 phased array radar and a 64-cell vertical launch system that can launch Haihongqi-9B. The Chinese Navy has carried out extensive construction of the Type 052D destroyer and its enlarged version of the 052DL to carry the Z-20 carrier-based aircraft. At present, more than 25 warships have been built, becoming the backbone of the Chinese Navy and the largest number of warships built by the Chinese Navy.
Type 052D destroyer
It can be seen that each model of the 052 series of destroyers is extremely special, and its status and role are all pivotal, demonstrating the pace of the Chinese Navy in pursuing technological breakthroughs and catching up with the world's advanced level in that era. This series of destroyers began with the installation of foreign equipment, absorbed foreign technology and experience, and then developed their own domestic equipment, slowly maturing, reflecting the development rhythm of Chinese destroyers in that era.
What are the advantages of the 052D destroyer?
In the case that the number of destroyers built in the previous types of 052 series was not large, the Chinese Navy built a large number of Type 052D destroyers, which is enough to show that this destroyer has excellent performance and reliable equipment.
First, the technology is mature and reliable. After the development and improvement of the 052 series of destroyers, by the time of the development of the 052D, the technology and performance of these domestic equipment have been relatively stable and can meet the needs of large-scale construction.
Second, the technical level of the warships is relatively high. The Type 052D destroyer is upgraded and improved on the basis of 052C, and the performance of its installed 346A active phased array radar and missile weapon system can rank among the top in the world. This type of ship is capable of performing a variety of tasks such as regional air defense, anti-ship, and anti-submarine. The combat capabilities of the ships can be ranked in the first phalanx of the relevant warships in the world.
Type 052D Kunming ship
Third, the cost of use is moderate. The size of the Type 052D destroyer is moderate, and while the overall construction cost is not high, it maintains a strong combat capability, and it can be said that the cost performance is still good, and it is suitable for large-scale construction. It has also attracted the attention of foreign buyers.
With 055, why build 052?
It can be seen that the Type 055 destroyer has outstanding performance and far exceeds the Type 052 in all combat capabilities. The combat power of a Type 055 destroyer is 2.1 times that of the 052D. However, after the construction of the previous batches of these two types of ships ended, the construction of subsequent batches has recently begun. The second batch of 055 is said to be built with 4 ships. At present, 2 ships under construction have been seen, and after completion, they may enter service with the East China Sea Fleet. 052 has also started a number of construction plans. So why is China building a large number of Type 055D destroyers when it has a Type 055 destroyer with obvious superiority in performance?
055 large drive top view
First, the positioning of the ship is determined. The Type 055 destroyer is a first-class ship of the Navy and is at the heart of the fleet. Type 055 destroyers generally serve as subordinate ships of the aircraft carrier formation or form combat formations with them as the core to carry out tasks. This determines that the number of Type 055 destroyers is not too much. And the Type 052D destroyers will assume the role of "executors" in the formation, so a larger number will be required.
Second, it is determined by the situation we are facing. The complex maritime situation around China, with tensions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, means that the navy needs to maintain a sufficient presence at all times, and China's maritime interests are gradually growing, and a group of mature capital ships of large tonnage are required to maintain deployment and carry out deterrence and other tasks. Therefore, the Chinese Navy transferred a large number of Type 056 frigates with smaller tonnage, and built a large number of 054 frigates and 052 destroyers.
The third is the need for the composition of ships. Although the total tonnage of the Chinese Navy is firmly in the forefront of the world, the composition of the fleet ships is unreasonable. There are not enough large and medium-sized surface ships, and there are still a number of old ships that need to be replaced. The Type 055 destroyer has complex technology, and it takes at least more than 2 years to build, with a long cycle, while the technology of the Type 052D destroyer is very mature, and multiple shipyards can build it at the same time, which can quickly make dumplings to make up for the unreasonable shortcomings of the Chinese Navy's ships to the greatest extent.
Type 055 sailed in formation
Fourth, it is determined by different costs. The technical capabilities of the Type 055 destroyer are outstanding, but the cost is also very expensive, and it is said that the cost of a single ship has reached 6 billion yuan, which is much higher than the cost of about 2 billion yuan for the 052D. And the cost of using Type 055 destroyers is also much higher than that of Type 052D. When performing low-intensity tasks in normal times, it is obviously more cost-effective to use the 052D in large quantities.
Fifth, it is required by the mission. As China's maritime rights and interests become more and more important, and the missions and tasks faced by the Chinese Navy are also getting bigger and bigger, in order to safeguard China's ocean-going interests, the future development direction of the Chinese Navy is moving towards a systematic and large-scale direction. This trend can be seen by decommissioning the 056 frigate and increasing the tonnage of the 054B frigate. In order to form a diversified and balanced surface ship system, a fleet composition with a small and elite 13,000-ton Type 055 destroyer and a large number of 7,000-ton Type 052D and 6,000-ton frigates would be a reasonable choice.
055 drive
It can be seen from this that both Type 055 destroyers and Type 052D destroyers and their modifications will be an important component of the Chinese Navy in the future. A smaller number of Type 055 destroyers paired with a larger number of Type 052 destroyers will be the norm for the Chinese Navy for a period of time.