According to relevant information, in 2023, the Chinese Navy will complete the construction of a number of new ships, including 052D, 055, and 075, and just after the first quarter of this year, several more 052D and 055 ships were launched. For the number of these new ships launched, some relevant sources have counted 12 ships.
For such a large number of new construction launches in a country, many people speculate that a new round of shipbuilding in the Navy has quietly begun. However, some people believe that although it is an indisputable fact that more new ships have been launched on the mainland, a key issue has also been ignored during this period -- technology.
It is not difficult to understand why there are such doubts, but it is indeed self-evident in terms of the number of new ships launched on the mainland, but in the face of technical problems, there is indeed a situation where technological progress is not too great. So, what's going on here?
To understand this aspect, we must first talk about the importance of technology for ships.
As a core component of the navy's strength, the technical level of warships has a direct bearing on the strength of the navy's combat capability. Technological progress can not only improve the performance of ships and enhance their combat capabilities, but also reduce costs, improve efficiency, and extend service life. Therefore, for the Navy, the importance of technology is self-evident.
The first aspect. With the development of science and technology, the performance of ships in terms of firepower, protection, and maneuverability has been continuously improved. For example, the new shipborne missile system can strike targets at a longer distance; the new shipborne radar system can achieve more rapid target detection and tracking; and the new shipborne weapon system can achieve more accurate strike effects. It has to be said that the application of these technologies can indeed enable warships to have a relatively strong strike capability in combat and improve the overall combat effectiveness of the navy.
The second aspect. Traditionally, the maintenance and repair of ships requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and the cost is high. With the advancement of technology, the maintenance cycle of the ship can be extended, the maintenance work can be simplified, and the maintenance cost and operating cost can be effectively controlled. This will not only save the navy's financial expenditure, but will also enhance the navy's combat effectiveness and support capability.
The third aspect. We have to know that the service life of ships is short, generally around a few decades. With the advancement of technology, the structure and materials of the ship can be optimized, and the service life can be extended. This will not only save the construction cost of the navy, but also improve the navy's sustained combat capability and support capability.
Therefore, from these basic aspects, the importance of technology to ships can be perceived. It is no exaggeration to say that technological progress can indeed improve the combat performance of ships, reduce maintenance and operating costs, and extend their service life, thereby improving the overall combat capability and support capability of the navy.
However, despite the importance of technology to ships, in the current wave of shipbuilding, people have found a problem: the number of new ships launched on the mainland has increased, but it seems that no significant progress in technology has been seen. Does this mean that there are signs of stagnation, or even regression, in the technical level of the Navy?
From my personal point of view, the main reasons for the sluggish technological progress are the following:
The first point. The existence of technical bottlenecks. With the continuous development of ship technology, some key technologies have reached a high level, and there is limited room for further improvement. For example, China has made some progress in the areas of ship-borne missiles, ship-borne radars, and ship-borne weapons, but there is still a gap between China and the world's advanced level. This requires the Navy to increase investment in scientific research, overcome technological bottlenecks, and achieve breakthroughs in key technologies.
The second point. Long R&D cycle. The R&D and application of naval technology requires a long cycle, generally several years, or even longer. In the current wave of shipbuilding, the research and development of many new ships began several years ago. As a result, it is difficult to reflect the latest state of the art and achievements in a timely manner. It is necessary for the Navy to speed up the research and development and transformation of technology, shorten the research and development cycle, and apply the latest technological achievements in a timely manner.
The third point. The difficulty of technology transfer. The development and application of naval technology requires a wide range of interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise, involving experts and technical personnel in many different fields. However, at present, there are problems such as the difficulty of technology transformation and the lack of collaboration, which have led to the application and promotion of technology to a certain extent. For example, in the fields of shipboard electronic equipment and materials science, it is necessary to cooperate across multiple disciplines to make breakthroughs, and this cooperation mode is often restricted and interfered by various factors in practice. Therefore, the Navy needs to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation, break down disciplinary barriers, and accelerate the transformation and application of technology.
Fourth point. Deficiencies in technology management and personnel training are also one of the reasons for the sluggish technological progress. At present, the mainland has problems in this regard, such as non-standard technical management and insufficient personnel personnel, resulting in low efficiency in the research and development and application of technology.
Therefore, the navy needs to strengthen technical management and personnel training, establish a sound technological innovation system and personnel training system, and provide strong support for technological progress.
Therefore, the challenge of sluggish technological progress and quantitative growth is indeed a complex problem that needs to be analyzed and solved from multiple aspects.
At this time, some netizens will inevitably wonder: maybe the technology is not satisfactory in some aspects, but through the growth of the number, can this deficiency be compensated?
In fact, although quantitative growth can increase the size and strength of the navy to a certain extent, it cannot replace technological progress, still less can it make up for the shortcomings of technological progress.
Although the number of new ships has increased, the technical level has not been improved, then their combat capabilities and support capabilities will also be limited to a certain extent. After all, technological progress is the fundamental driving force for the development of the Navy. Quantitative growth is important, but only through technological progress can the navy's overall combat capability and support capability be truly improved.