Some time ago, a domestic military website exposed the latest photo of the 891 "Bisheng" comprehensive test ship of the 909 type comprehensive test ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy.
Radar of the latest photo exposure of the Bisheng
According to the photos, the rear mast of the "Bisheng" ship has been replaced by a new double-sided rotary array radar using a phased array detection system, which is very similar in appearance to the "Wuxian" ship-borne multi-purpose radar (mfr) equipped by the French "Aquitaine" class frigates. For a time, the news of "the radar of the Type 054B frigate began to be tested on the ship" was all over the sky, so we will open a pit today to talk about this matter.
"Wu Xian" shipborne multi-purpose radar
What does this radar have to do with the 054b?
First of all, Ivan the Great must make a clear statement: this rotating array phased array radar mounted on the 891 ship has a high probability of having little to do with the 054b ship's electricity and fire control system.
Quite simply, since the second half of last year, the number of rumors about 054b flowing out of multiple channels has suddenly increased, and even some cases have been very specific. Based on a variety of news, we can think that the 054b, as the next generation of main force or transitional frigates of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, has frozen the design indicators and determined the shipboard subsystem, and will soon reach the stage of design and drawing and even shipyard preparation. However, if this set of photos of the 891 ship was not taken a few years ago, but recently taken, it means that this rotary array radar has just been installed on the ship and has not been tested for a long time, according to this research and development schedule, it is certainly unrealistic to catch up with the rhythm of 054b.
052b Imagine
Therefore, contrary to most people's expectations, in Ivan's view, the most unlikely object of this rotary array radar is 054b, as for what kind of ship electrical system 054b should be equipped with, whether it is a "simplified version of 055" or a "high-end version of 054a", we will talk about it next time.
What is this radar?
So, since the radar has little to do with the 054b, it is an interesting question as to what exactly it is expected to be loaded on. However, let's first figure out the basic technical and tactical performance of this radar.
According to the speculations of various bigwigs recently, it is believed that the rotating array radar of this phased array system is more similar to the "Wuxian constellation" developed by the French Thales company, which is a sea-based S-band three-coordinate air-to-air search radar, taking into account the functions of friend and foe identification, electronic confrontation, missile guidance and so on. At the same time, there are some more optimistic big guys who believe that in addition to the "s-band main array" that occupies the vast majority of the array area, the smaller rectangle below the array is the "X-band array", which is used for precision angle measurement and irradiation guidance for regional air defense missiles and expansion point air defense missiles. In other words, the radar that appeared on the 891 ship this time is still a highly integrated dual-band radar.
The "Valcinia" radar system equipped by the French "Aquitaine" frigate
For the above two views, it is more practical to look at Ivan the Great, saying that this rotary array radar is the same as the "Vulcans" radar equipped with the "Aquitaine" class of the French Navy, and it is more realistic to say that it is an S-band multipurpose search radar. At the same time, considering the early development and finalization time of the "Wuxian" radar, the relevant scientific research institutes in China have made great progress in the fields of t/r component packaging, mmic chip design and DSP amplifier in recent years, especially the gan material RF components prepared for the next generation of large phased array radar have been initially rolled out, and the main technical and tactical performance of our rotary array aesa radar, such as transmitter power, maximum theoretical detection distance, multi-target detection/tracking capabilities, Multi-task parallel capabilities, etc. are more than the French Navy's "Martial Immortals", we think the problem is not big;
And you want to say that this is a "main face s band, sub-face x band" dual-band active phased array radar, Ivan the Great believes that it is still debatable, after all, according to the photos taken, the so-called "x-band array" located below the "main front" is too small, the reference scale calculation is not much larger than the window on the ship, of course, some people may think that the x-band front of the FCS-3 dual-band radar of the Sea of Japan is not large, But the problem is that the c-band array of the Haizi FCS-3 radar is also not big enough, and the design of "the main front is too large and the secondary array is too small" like ours has never been seen.
Japanese Akizuki-class equipped FCS-3 dual-band radar
Therefore, if considered comprehensively, Ivan the Great still tends to think that this rotary array radar is an S-band multi-purpose radar, which is considered to be an opening of the "x-band subfront", and Ivan the Great believes that it may be an attached electronic support antenna, or simply an overhaul port.
The technical details of this type of radar are speculated
Then, after basically determining that the radar is an S-band multi-purpose radar (MFR), we can probably figure out what its research and development benchmarking and replacement target are. In Ivan the Great's view, there are two types of radars that the active phased array radar of this rotating array is expected to replace:
054a's 382 anti-air search radar
The first is the 382-to-air search radar, which is the "standard air-to-air radar" of the main frigate and some general-purpose destroyers of the Chinese Navy, and the second is that it is possible to replace the Type 364 sea-to-sea/anti-air low-altitude search radar, which is the standard of the vast majority of destroyers in active service of the Chinese Navy.
Successor relationship with 382 radar
Let's first talk about the inheritance relationship between this radar and the 382 radar. As we all know, the 382 radar, as the main force of the air search of the Chinese Navy frigate and the universal destroyer, its benchmark type is the mae-5 improved version of the famous Russian-made MR-710 "top plate" radar. Compared with the MR-710/MAE-5, the Type 382 radar inherits its basic design and detection system, and also adopts a back-to-back dual-band gap array antenna design, and uses a snake-shaped waveguide feeder to obtain pitch angle sweep capability.
Russian-made MR-710 "top plate" radar
However, because the number of waveguides of the 382 radar is more than the "top plate", the maximum transmission power is larger than the "top plate", and the antennas such as friend identification and electronic support have achieved integrated design, and its main technical and tactical indicators are much ahead of the "top plate". To be fair, the 382 radar is a fairly cost-effective S-band air-to-air search radar that the Chinese Navy can get, and it is also well used on ships such as 054a and 051b.
382 radar
However, with the increasing air threats faced by the Chinese Navy in the next ten to fifteen years, especially the f/a-18e/f, a third-generation fighter with active stealth function, and the f-35b/c, a fourth-generation fighter with active stealth function, which are always looking at the tiger, the Type 382 radar that adopts the traditional working system has indeed reached the time of "inadequacy".
f-35c
Compared with the 382-type radar, the S-band rotating active phased array radar installed on the 891 ship this time will undoubtedly greatly exceed the 382 radar using the traditional system due to the new launch system, and its system power, detection distance, anti-jamming ability, multi-target resolution and tracking capability, and real-time air condition monitoring capability will undoubtedly greatly exceed the 382 radar using the traditional system. In the face of strong electromagnetic interference, low detectability targets, and small and light targets that have been optimized for stealth, it can provide better angle measurement accuracy and longer burn-through distances, so as to ensure that our surface ships will not be invisible or unable to hit targets such as stealth fighters or electromagnetic attack aircraft of strong enemies.
Replaces the Type 364 radar
As for the Type 364 radar, the radar working band is in the c/x band, and the main task undertaken by the Surface Ships of the Chinese Navy is to detect the blindness of the sea and the low altitude of the air, which can carry out early detection and early warning of anti-ship missiles, small guided speeds, suicide boats and other targets that are attacking the sea, and provide early target indication and pre-aiming for the terminal close defense system such as h/pj-11, h/pj-12, and hq-10. However, on the Type 075 amphibious assault ship launched in Hudong China, the Type 364 radar located at the top of the rear mast has been replaced by a small, phased array system of sea search radar, and it is foreseeable that the 364 radar will also enter a phased period in the future.
Phased array radar at the top of the 075 rear mast
The 075-class amphibious assault ship in the abandonment of the 364 radar at the same time, did not give up the mast of the 382 radar, considering the 382 radar in the detection capability, target refresh rate and other aspects of the problem, it seems that an S-band air-to-air search radar + an X-band low-altitude blindness repair radar is a more appropriate combination, and for the new S-band rotary array, as a multi-purpose radar, it can have taken into account the sea sweeping, air-to-air detection and other detection modes, and even multi-mode parallel.
The 075 still retains the 382 radar of the front mast
Of course, the S-band radar is somewhat inherently deficient in sea sweeping detection, if the follow-up to the S-band rotary phased array radar continues to upgrade, or even really add an x-band sub-array, then this radar alone is enough to complete the previous 382 radar plus a 364 radar to complete the work, which is undoubtedly a huge progress.
When will the new radar be equipped?
As for when the new rotating array radar will actually be installed on the ship, Ivan the Great agrees with some of the big guys, after all, the battleship is like the air force fighters, but also to continue to upgrade. Especially at a time when the threat of stealth aircraft is becoming more and more serious, the upgrade of naval warships will undoubtedly tilt to improve situational awareness and enhance the ability to reactivity.
054a Jingzhou ship
Therefore, it is expected that from the 2020s onwards, the 054A frigate that began to enter service in 2008 will usher in an upgrade period, and the use of this medium-term upgrade period to remove the 382 radar and 364 radar on the ship and replace it with this new rotary array radar seems to be a high probability event.
051c Shijiazhuang ship
Not only the Type 054a frigates, it is expected that the follow-up 051b, 052b and even 051c warships may also be reloaded, at least to ensure that these warships can deal with the threat of strong enemy stealth fighters to a certain extent in the next ten to fifteen years after upgrading.
As for what radar will be used on the new hull, new system, and new power type 054b frigate, this is obviously another story.