#type 052d class destroyer

[rhk111sblog]

Thailand and Laos are both benefiting from the increased Trade brought about by the China-Laos Railway; Thailand signed their THIRD Mini-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with a Chinese Province; Indonesia confirmed that they are interested in joining the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) Group of Economies; A Chinese Naval Destroyer Vessel visited Malaysia, and their Trade with China was worth Usd 204 billion in 2022

[usafphantom2]

How is China Modernizing its Navy?

Beijing has undertaken sweeping efforts to modernize its navy. At the 18th Party Congress in 2012, then-President Hu Jintao called for China to become a “maritime power” capable of safeguarding its maritime rights and interests. President Xi Jinping reiterated this position in April 2018 when he stated that “the task of building a powerful navy has never been as urgent as it is today.” China’s 2019 defense white paper further outlined the need “to build a strong and modernized naval force” that is capable of carrying out “missions on the far seas.”

Please note that we have classified some vessels differently from IISS.1

The Expansion of the PLAN

The modernization of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has resulted in a growth in fleet size and capabilities. Research conducted by RAND suggests that China’s surface fleet in 1996 consisted of 57 destroyers and frigates, but only three of these vessels carried short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAM), making them virtually “defenseless against modern anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM).” Three quarters of its roughly 80 attack submarines belonged to the Soviet Romeo-class that entered service in the 1950s.

Over the last few decades, China’s navy has rapidly expanded. Around 2015, the Chinese Navy surpassed the U.S. Navy in total size, and the PLAN has continued to grow in the years since then. The U.S. Congressional Research Service estimates that the Chinese Navy consisted of 348 ships and submarines in 2021, while the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) puts the figure slightly higher at 355 vessels. By comparison, the deployable battle force of the U.S. Navy comprised 296 vessels in 2021.2 The fleet sizes of other leading nations are comparatively smaller. As of 2021, the British Royal Navy consisted of approximately 76 ships and the Royal Australian Navy had a fleet of 44 ships.

New ships are being put to sea at an impressive rate. Between 2017 and 2019, China reportedly built more vessels than India, Japan, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom combined. Germany’s Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbachsaid noted in 2021 that China’s navy is expanding by roughly the equivalent of the entire French navy every four years. In 2021, China commissioned at least 28 ships, while the U.S. Navy was positioned to commission seven ships that year. Should China continue to commission ships at a similar rate, it could have 425 battle force ships by 2030.

According to the DoD, a significant focus of the PLAN’s modernization is upgrading and “augmenting its littoral warfare capabilities, especially in the South China Sea and East China Sea.” In response to this need, China has ramped up production of Jiangdao-class (Type 056) corvettes. Since first being commissioned in 2013, 72 Type 056 corvettes had been commissioned by the end of 2021. Approximately 20 to 22 of these were transferred to the Chinese Coast Guard, leaving 50 to 52 of these vessels in the PLAN. In early 2020, China reportedly completed work on its final Type 056 corvette and halted further production to focus on advancing its blue-water capabilities.

The capabilities of the Chinese navy are growing in other areas as well. RAND has reported that, based on contemporary standards of ship production, over 70 percent of the PLAN fleet in 2017 was considered “modern,” up from less than 50 percent in 2010. China is also producing larger ships capable of accommodating advanced armaments and onboard systems. The PLAN’s first Type 055 cruisers, for instance, entered service in 2019 and displaces between 4,000 to 5,000 more tons than the Type 052D destroyer, which entered service in 2014. The Type 055 is equipped with 112 vertical launch system (VLS) missile cells that can aid in area defense while escorting China’s aircraft carriers in blue waters.

China is also leading the world in terms of the overall tonnage of new ships being put to sea. The collective tonnage of the ships launched by China between 2014 and 2018 was an impressive 678,000 tons—larger than the aggregate tonnages of the navies of France and Spain combined. Importantly, the PLAN’s total tonnage remains less than that of the U.S. Navy­. As of 2018, the gap between the two navies was estimated at roughly three million tons. This difference is largely attributed to the United States fielding 11 aircraft carriers, each displacing approximately 100,000 tons.

Expanding Shipbuilding Capability

The rapid expansion of the PLAN has been undergirded by China’s growing shipbuilding capability. During the mid-1990s, favorable market conditions and joint ventures with Japan and South Korea enabled China to upgrade its shipbuilding facilities and operational techniques. According to the DoD, the modernization and expansion of these shipyards has “increased China’s shipbuilding capacity and capability for all types of military projects, including submarines, surface combatants, naval aviation, and sealift assets.”

These advances have also facilitated China’s transition into a commercial shipbuilding superpower. Merchant shipbuilding production rose from just 1 million gross tons in 1996 to a high of 39 million gross tons in 2011, which was more than double the output of Japan in the same year.3 In 2018, China surpassed South Korea to become the global leader in shipbuilding, and as of 2020, Chinese shipbuilders had captured over 40 percent of the global market (by tonnage).

The same state-owned companies that dominate China’s commercial shipbuilding industry are also major players in the military space. Until 2019, China’s two largest shipbuilding companies—China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC)—were responsible for three-quarters of China’s overall shipbuilding output. CSIC and CSSC also produced all domestically built vessels recently introduced into the Chinese navy. In November 2019, the two companies merged into a single massive entity, the China Shipbuilding Group Corporation (also known as CSSC), which accounted for 21.5 percent of global ship orders in 2021.

There are six shipyards spread across China that fulfill the lion’s share of China’s naval shipbuilding needs.4 Each of these shipyards also contains facilities for producing commercial vessels. Jiangnan Shipyard, for example, has produced several Type 055 cruisers and it is also responsible for building China’s third aircraft carrier. The shipyard also delivered one of the world’s largest ethane and ethylene-capable tankers, the Navigator Aurora, in 2016 and the Xue Long 2 icebreaker in 2018, and it continues to build numerous commercial container and tanker vessels.

High levels of integration between military and commercial shipbuilding is relatively uncommon. In Europe, shipbuilding operations have focused on consolidating and expanding military activities instead of integrating merchant and military shipbuilding operations. Similarly, major military shipbuilders in the United States – such as Huntington Ingalls Industries (responsible for Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers and nuclear-powered submarines) and General Dynamics Electric Boat (the only other builder of nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy) – focus almost exclusively on defense contracts.

The operational standards and technical requirements of naval shipbuilding differ from those of the commercial sector, which has the potential to affect the productivity and efficiency of both activities. Nevertheless, China’s State Council has explicitly encouraged this practice in hopes of boosting technology transfers among sectors. A 2013 plan released by the State Council called on domestic shipbuilders to “breach military industry capacity-building bottlenecks in key products, materials, manufacturing equipment” by “rely[ing] on major civilian research projects.”

This integration of military and civilian operations at Chinese shipyards has significant security and policy implications for foreign countries and their companies. Research by CSIS shows that, between 2019 and 2021, four key Chinese dual-use shipyards received at least 211 orders for commercial vessels, 64 percent of which were placed by foreign companies—including companies based in Taiwan, France, Japan, and elsewhere. With little transparency and differentiation between military and civilian operations, it is impossible to determine the extent to which foreign ship orders may be helping to lower the costs of PLAN modernization.

Jiangnan Shipyard plays a vital role in the PLAN's modernization. To provide more insight, CSIS has conducted detailed imagery analysis that tracks how the shipyard's infrastructure has expanded and traces the naval activity at Jiangnan in 2018. Learn more with this ChinaPower exclusive.

New Ships for a New Surface Fleet

As part of its modernization efforts, several new ships are being introduced into the Chinese Navy. A brief overview of some of the most noteworthy additions to the PLAN are outlined below.

Third Aircraft Carrier

Type 055 (Renhai-class) Cruiser/Large Destroyer

Type 052D (Luyang III-class) Destroyer

Type 054A (Jiangkai II-class) Frigate

Type 056 (Jiangdao-class) Corvette

Type 071 (Yuzhao-class) Amphibious Transport Dock

Type 075 Landing Helicopter Dock

[awutar]

They catch under construction an alleged batch of new Chinese destroyers 052D

They catch under construction an alleged batch of new Chinese destroyers 052D

According to military observers, Beijing currently has 25 ships of this class. A photo taken at the Dalian shipyard in northeastern China has been spread on social networks, which could reflect the scale and ambition of the Chinese Army’s fleet modernization plans. Images posted on Weibo show five large warships under construction, presumably Type 052D destroyers, equipped with guided missile…

[navalpost]

Video: Inside China’s Newest Type 052DL Destroyer, Suzhou 132

Video: Inside China’s Newest Type 052DL Destroyer, Suzhou 132

China Central Television (CCTV7) published a video of China’s newest Type 052DL class destroyer, Suzhou 132. It shows the interior, main mast, engine room, flight deck ops, amongst others. The fourth improved Type 052D guided missile destroyer of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, Suzhou 132, made its first appearance in a maritime exercise after its recent commissioning in March…

[militaryleak]

Chinese PLAN Refitted Sovremenny-class Destroyer with YJ-12 Anti-ship Cruise Missiles

Chinese PLAN Refitted Sovremenny-class Destroyer with YJ-12 Anti-ship Cruise Missiles

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) recently held a series of naval exercises that featured two Sovremenny-class destroyers imported from Russia, one recently refitted and modernized by China, a move which will lead to enhanced combat capability. A naval flotilla attached to the PLA Eastern Theater Command Navy consisting of the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Taiyuan,…

[xtruss]

Double the Destroyers: China Will Soon Have Almost 40 of These Modern Warships

Can America keep up with China's ambitious and speedy ship-building?

— by Kris Osborn | July 17, 2020 | Nationalinterest.Org

The Chinese Navy may double its fleet of destroyers in just the next five years, bringing increased reach, firepower and missile defenses to new areas around the globe.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy, which now fields twenty destroyers, is expected to operate as many as thirty-nine of the warships within five years, a move which massively expands the attack reach of the Chinese Navy.

“As of mid-2020, the PLAN currently fields 20 modern aegis-type* destroyers in its order of battle, supported by another 11 older, non-aegis-type destroyers. These 20 modern aegis-type destroyers are made up of six Type 052Cs, 13 Type 052Ds, and one lead Type 055,” a story in The Diplomat writes.

The increase in destroyers parallels a much larger Chinese Naval expansion now causing concern among Pentagon leaders.

A recent Congressional report maps out China’s ambitious aircraft carrier modernization plan. Citing that the Chinese Navy, now having 360 ships, has already well surpassed the U.S. Navy’s 297 ships in terms of sheer size.

Having already launched its second carrier, the Shangdong, the Chinese have embarked upon the construction of a newer, far-more capable third aircraft carrier, according to a May 2020 Congressional Research Service Report, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities.”

The People’s Liberation Army Navy, a report in The Diplomat says, will likely have 400 ships and at three-to-four aircraft carriers by 2025.

Following the construction of its first indigenously-built carrier, the second carrier in the fleet overall, modeled after its ski-jump-configured Ukrainian-built Liaoning, the PLAN has embarked upon a larger, flatter, more modern carrier platform with smooth, longer-range electromagnetic catapults similar to the U.S. Ford-class.

An electromagnetic catapult generates a fluid, smooth launch, which is different than a steam-powered “shotgun” type take off. Also, an electromagnetic catapult extends an attack envelope well beyond what China’s existing ski jump launch makes possible.

China’s emerging Type 055 destroyer is also attracting attention from U.S. planners. Interestingly, the ship represents an apparent Chinese effort to build a stealthy destroyer.

The ship has a blended body-bow, smooth exterior, absence of large protruding deck masts and few external deck-mounted weapons. In some respects, the ship does appear to resemble some elements of the U.S. Navy’s stealthy USS Zumwalt destroyer.

The Nanchang has very similar-looking deck-mounted guns and a smooth, flat, roundly curved deckhouse. Like the USS Zumwalt, there is a decidedly linear, inwardly-angled hull-deckhouse connection.

It has narrow command post windows and appears to mirror the hull deckhouse configuration of the USS Zumwalt to some extent with radar panels blended into sides of the ship.

Also, the central placement of the deckhouse, blended with a back end area, might represent a deliberate effort to align the ship’s center of gravity and therefore decrease the possibility of capsizing in rough seas.

Some of the ship’s stealth features were pointed out in a 2018 story in The Diplomat, which describes the ship as having a “flared hull with distinctly stealthy features including an enclosed bow,” and hidden mooring points and anchor chains.

This deck structure indeed does reveal an apparent attempt to engineer a ship with a lower radar signature, as there are no externally mounted, angular or protruding weapons systems hanging from the sides of the ship.

There are few separated large, pointy antenna masts apart from one aligned straight up on top of the deckhouse and a small cluster on the back end.

However, unlike the USS Zumwalt, which aligns VLS (Vertical Launch Systems) along the periphery of the ship deck, the Diplomat describes the Type 055 destroyers as having a “64 cell block of VLS.” More concentrated VLS might seem to leave a ship more vulnerable to catastrophic attack should an incoming weapon hit the centralized group of VLS.

Having VLS on the periphery, however, would enable many VLS to sustain functionality in the event that some were disabled or destroyed by enemy attacks. Also, closely stacked VLS would emit a larger heat signature should multiple missiles be launched concurrently.

— Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

— Image: Reuters

[ssbprep]

Chinese Type 052D destroyer fitted with possible anti-ship missile decoy launchers Images have emerged of a Chinese Type 052D (Luyang III)-class destroyer fitted with what appears to be an anti-ship missile countermeasures system.

[defpost]

China Launches Eighth Type 055 Destroyer

#China launches eighth #Type055 guided missile destroyer.

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) has launched the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s eighth Type 055 guided missile destroyer on August 30, 2020.

The Type 055 destroyers (NATO/OSD Renhai-class cruiser) are the newest class of destroyers being developed for the PLA Navy Surface Force. They are the successors of the smaller Type 052D (NATO reporting name: Luyang III class,…

[hudsonespie]

U.S. Navy: Chinese Warship Aimed Powerful Laser at Patrol Aircraft

On Friday, the U.S. Navy accused a Chinese destroyer of aiming a laser at a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner. 

On February 17, the Poseidon was on a patrol in uncontested international airspace about 380 miles west of Guam. A PLA Navy destroyer, hull number 161, allegedly aimed a high-powered laser at the aircraft. The laser, which was not visible to the naked eye, was detected by a sensor onboard the P-8A, the Navy said. 

"Weapons-grade lasers could potentially cause serious harm to aircrew and mariners, as well as ship and aircraft systems," U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement. "The P-8A was operating in international airspace in accordance with international rules and regulations. The PRC navy destroyer’s actions were unsafe and unprofessional."

The lasing incident allegedly violated the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), a multilateral agreement between the U.S. and China dating back to the 2014 Western Pacific Naval Symposium. CUES addresses the use of lasers that could cause harm to personnel or damage to equipment. The Navy also said that the destroyer’s actions were inconsistent with an MOU between the Pentagon and China's ministry of defense regarding rules of behavior for air and maritime encounters.

The U.S Navy reiterated its right to fly and sail anywhere that international law allows, including the waters of the Philippine Sea. 

China's state media objected to Pacific Fleet's characterization of the incident. 

"The US accusation is an obvious attempt to hype the 'China threat' theory and raise its navy budget," state-controlled outlet Global Times wrote in an editorial Friday, citing an unnamed Chinese naval expert. "The Chinese warship was conducting normal training in international waters, and using related equipment during such training conforms to international law. Compared to the scheduled training by the Chinese warship, the fast approaching US warplane was the aggressive one."

PLA Navy hull number 161 corresponds to the Type 052D destroyer Hohhot, one of the three vessels in the class which entered service last year. Global Times reported that the Hohhot was accompanying the frigate Xianning, the surveillance ship Tianshuxing and the auxiliary ship Chaganhu on a training mission across the international date line "for the first time."

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/u-s-navy-chinese-warship-targeted-patrol-aircraft-with-laser via http://www.rssmix.com/

[navalpost]

The Most Powerful Chinese destroyer, Type 055 Class Nanchang, spotted in waters near Japan

The Most Powerful Chinese destroyer, Type 055 Class Nanchang, spotted in waters near Japan

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy flotilla led by the country’s most powerful surface combatant, Type 055 class destroyer Nanchang, sailed through the Tsushima Strait on Thursday and headed toward the Sea of Japan, the Japan Defense Ministry said Friday. The PLA Navy flotilla was consisting of three warships, the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D…

[whittlebaggett8]

China Launches 19th and 20th Type 052D Guided Missile Destroyer

Two Style 052D guided-missile destroyers ended up reportedly released at the Dalian shipyard on May well 10.

The Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Enterprise reportedly launched China’s 19th and 20th Type 052D Luyang III-course guided-missile destroyers — dubbed the “Chinese Aegis”—at the company’s shipyard in Dalian in Northeast China on May possibly 10, in accordance to regional media studies.

“Decked with Chinese nationwide flags, the two Form 052D destroyers had been released in the Dalian Shipyard on Friday with the assistance of tug boats, marking the 19th and 20th of launches of their kind,” the World Situations reported on May well 12, dependent on data provided by the Chinese news web site wenweipo.com.

“China now has 20 Style 052Ds possibly in lively assistance or being fitted out for assistance quickly,” the World wide Moments provides.

Experiencing this report? Click on in this article to subscribe for complete entry. Just $5 a month.

Type 052D guided missile destroyers are alternatively produced in Dalian or at the Jiangnan shipyard, located on Changxing Island in Shanghai. The first-of-course Kunming was commissioned into assistance with the People’s Liberation Military Navy (Prepare) in March 2014.

The destroyers are multipurpose surface area combatants and can be deployed for a wide range of responsibilities together with anti-air, anti-surface area, and anti-submarine warfare operations. The ships are expected to be portion of long run Prepare provider strike teams (CSG) and are aspect of the service’s first CSG, formed close to the service’s sole operational plane provider, the 60,000-ton Liaoning, a retrofitted Soviet-era Admiral Kuznetsov-course multirole aircraft provider.

I previously explained the Sort 052D’s fight devices:

A Type 052D Luyang III-course destroyer is geared up with 64 vertical launch cells, every single able of carrying one to 4 missiles. The ship carries one of the PLAN’s deadliest anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), the vertically-launched YJ-18 ASCM. Up coming to its YJ-18 arsenal, Form 052D guided-missile destroyers are also outfitted with fashionable HQ-9 area-to-air-missiles (SAM).

(…)

The warship also carries CJ-10 land attack cruise missiles, CT-5 anti-submarine missiles, and TY-83 anti-ship missiles in addition to medium-range SAMs. Sort 052D warships are also fitted with a effective Style 346A lively electronically scanned array (AESA), a H/LJQ-364 minimal-altitude look for radar, H/LJQ-366 around-the-horizon surface area lookup & focusing on radar, and H/LJQ-517B air research radar, as perfectly as hearth manage radars. 

The Variety 052D can also carry antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopters this sort of as the new Harbin Z-20 or Zhi-20 in its hangar.

Previous thirty day period, throughout a naval parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Approach, the company exhibited its most highly developed surface area combatant, the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer course (NATO designation: Renhai-class). The Type 055 and Form 052D are predicted to jointly kind the main of China’s future CSG and surface area fight teams.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Strategy Commander Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong have been both equally embarked aboard a Form 052D destroyer for the length of the parade.

The post China Launches 19th and 20th Type 052D Guided Missile Destroyer appeared first on Defence Online.

from WordPress https://defenceonline.com/2019/05/13/china-launches-19th-and-20th-type-052d-guided-missile-destroyer/

[militaryleak]

Chinese PLAN New Upgraded Type 052D Destroyer Sails Amid Tensions in Taiwan Straits

Chinese PLAN New Upgraded Type 052D Destroyer Sails Amid Tensions in Taiwan Straits

The Global Times reported that amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Straits with the US military’s increasingly frequent operations in the region, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held drills in the East China Sea, with the latest, more powerful, anti-stealth aircraft-capable version of the Type 052D destroyer making its first public appearance. The training subjects…

[zentropasia-blog1]

Chinese navy puts newest platforms on display

24 April 2019 - China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has displayed some of its newest platforms in a fleet review held on 23 April in the waters off the northern port city of Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 30 Chinese naval vessels and 18 foreign warships participated in the event, which was overseen by President Xi Jinping who was embarked in Type 052D destroyer Xining (117). Xi was escorted by PLAN Commander Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong.

The most notable ship in the formation was Nanchang (pennant number 101), the lead ship of the Type 055 (Renhai) class, which was launched in June 2017. PLAN watchers had anticipated that the ship would be formally commissioned prior to the fleet review. Although this has not been officially confirmed, its participation in the event while displaying its pennant number indicates that the platform has entered service.

Information that appears to have been provided during the event puts the standard displacement of the Type 055 at more than 11,000 tonnes: an increase over the frequently quoted tonnage of 10,000 tonnes.

Equipped with a comprehensive suite of modern sensors, the Type 055 can engage air, surface, submarine, or land targets with weapons fired from its 112 universal vertical launch missile cells. While formally designated by the PLAN as a guided missile destroyer, its displacement and scale of armament makes comparison with the US Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers more appropriate than with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

Reports in Chinese news media highlighted that one of the two Type 094- (Jin-)class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) shown at the event is a new variant. The boat has the smoothly blended contours at the top and base of the fin to improve hydrodynamic flow.

While these changes had been noted on at least one previous Type 094, the new variant also has only one row of flood and drain holes in the casing around the raised 'hump' that accommodates the ballistic missile tubes.  Andrew Tate - Jane's Defence Weekly

[courtneytincher]

China reportedly tests a new hypersonic missile capable to ‘destroy US warships’

Chinese sources have reported that a mystery anti-ship hypersonic missile is being tested by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

According to the current information, the prototype hypersonic missile, being developed to increase the firepower of the newest Chinese Type 055 guided missile destroyers, has done successfully land tests.

Sources have claimed the new hypersonic missile, known as YJ-XX, will to capable of destroying US warships missile defenses. The YJ-XX is an ultra-high-speed missile, with the range of 1000 km, allegedly capable of penetrating US air defense systems based on Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA and SM-6 Block IA hit-to-kill interceptor missiles.

Notably, the first Type 055 destroyer, Nanchang (visual indicative 101), made its first public debut during the massive celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao.

The 180-meter long, 20-meter wide Type 055 class is a development of the Type 052D Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer but is about a third bigger than the latter.

The ship is armed with 112 vertical-launch cells with the ability to fire HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles. The main gun is a H/PJ-38 130-mm gun, but there are reports that this vessel also could eventually be equipped with a railgun. The vessel uses X- and S-band radars, allowing it to track stealthy objects of various sizes.

Type 055 with newest anti-ship hypersonic missiles descendants could significantly extend the Chinese Navy range at the central Pacific.

Slide demonstrating the use of a mystery weapon.

from Defence Blog

Chinese sources have reported that a mystery anti-ship hypersonic missile is being tested by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

According to the current information, the prototype hypersonic missile, being developed to increase the firepower of the newest Chinese Type 055 guided missile destroyers, has done successfully land tests.

Sources have claimed the new hypersonic missile, known as YJ-XX, will to capable of destroying US warships missile defenses. The YJ-XX is an ultra-high-speed missile, with the range of 1000 km, allegedly capable of penetrating US air defense systems based on Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA and SM-6 Block IA hit-to-kill interceptor missiles.

Notably, the first Type 055 destroyer, Nanchang (visual indicative 101), made its first public debut during the massive celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao.

The 180-meter long, 20-meter wide Type 055 class is a development of the Type 052D Luyang III-class guided-missile destroyer but is about a third bigger than the latter.

The ship is armed with 112 vertical-launch cells with the ability to fire HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles. The main gun is a H/PJ-38 130-mm gun, but there are reports that this vessel also could eventually be equipped with a railgun. The vessel uses X- and S-band radars, allowing it to track stealthy objects of various sizes.

Type 055 with newest anti-ship hypersonic missiles descendants could significantly extend the Chinese Navy range at the central Pacific.

Slide demonstrating the use of a mystery weapon.

via IFTTT

[araberuni]

The Chinese defence industry has progressed considerably in air defence capabilities and the C4ISR components in the recent years. Broad and diverse ranges of modern radars of Chinese origin are progressively displacing Chinese designs. The new Chinese developed Type 120, 305A and 305B high-mobility acquisition radars. These are supplemented by mobile ground-based passive emitter locating systems such as the CETC YLC-20 series.

Numerous instances demonstrate the robust indigenous capability to develop key C4ISR technologies and apply these technologies in unique and original ways. If the observed trends in PLA and PLAN’s C4ISR doctrine and technological capabilities continue unabated, the PLA will have a world-class C4ISR capability in place by the end of the coming decade.

Chinese search and acquisition radars are also seeing increasing use of AESA technology. The Chinese S-band Type 305A/LLQ305A appears to be fundamentally influenced by the Thales/Raytheon Groundmaster series S-band GM200 and GM400 designs. The depth of the primary antenna and its structural frame is typical for AESA designs in this category, using a stacked modular feed network arrangement; this is well documented in some CETC AESA designs. The new Type 305A 3D acquisition radar is otherwise unique and does not resemble any other known Chinese radar designs.

Use of Gallium Nitride

Finally, according to a Chinese analyst relayed by the journal Science and Technology Daily, Type 305A and Type 305B radar would have used components based on gallium nitride (GaN), which can work at much higher temperatures and voltages, thus reducing the stacking of components and the need for cooling. Compatible with CMOS, they are also inexpensive to manufacture. The transmitter and receiver unit is also using the latest Chinese gallium nitride (GaN) technology.

Liaoning Aircraft Carrier

Type 055 Destroyer

Radar Version

The new Type 305A X band radar is an AESA acquisition radar to support HQ-9 batteries and is like the Chinese analogous to Israeli Green Pine radar. The Type 305A naval variation would be on the second or rear mast.

The type 305A has been fitted on the type 055 destroyer, a naval version AKA Sino APAR. The Type 305B radar is also very heavy in the literal sense of the term. Indeed, according to another patent filed by the Institute 14 of the CETC group, designer of this series of Chinese APAR, some compartments of the radar measure 10m × 2.5m × 2.6m and weigh in the 10 tons.

The type 305A and type 305B have been fitted on licensed produced Mercedes-Benz 6×6 truck for the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile batteries. Visually, the Type 052D has the main radar flat, and the Type 305A also appears to be larger than the Type 305 on the Type 052D which is already a considerable big radar on its own.  The 305B on the 055 Destroyer would be the third generation version of this radar.

Type 305A radar

Type 305A (also known as LLQ-305A) radar is another search radar for the HQ-9 system. This AESA radar is designed to maximise the anti-ballistic capability of HQ-9, and it resembles Thales Ground Master 400 AESA radar. Very little info is released about this radar other than it can also act as FCR.

Although Type 305 radars are effective against stealthy targets such as F-22 or F-35, full stealth target such as B-2 is difficult to detect. YLC-20 passive radar was conceptually based on KRTP-91 Tamara passive sensor, incorporating experience obtained from documentation acquired during the abortive attempt to procure six Czech VERA passive sensors. YLC-20 passive radar was first revealed in 2006.

Type 305B radar

Type 305B (also known as LLQ-305B) radar is the standard search radar for HQ-9, and it is a development of YLC-2 Radar. This 3D radar which has an antenna height of 3.5 meters, and employs sixty 350 mm waveguide feeds. It operates in the S-band at a wavelength of 11.67 cm. The Type 305B is also an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

Applications

An export variant of the HQ-9 active radar homing air defence missile system, the FD2000 features Type 120 low-altitude search radar, YLC-20 passive sensor, as well as Type 305A AESA search radar for enhanced anti-stealth capability, counter-stealth capability and full anti-ballistic missile capability respectively.

The Type 305A search radar is fully capable of tracking and analysing inbound Ballistic Missile. The naval version of type 305A is also used as a target acquisition radar. The stated use is for early warning and battle management against aerial and ballistic targets.

Users

The PLA and PLAN are the primary users of this radar. The radar has been deployed on the disputed Woody Island in the South China Sea. The radar also is exported to Pakistan Army’s HQ-9 batteries. The radar was also proposed to Turkey’s SAM tender.

CETC Group’s Type 305A and 305B AESA Radar The Chinese defence industry has progressed considerably in air defence capabilities and the C4ISR components in the recent years.

[defpost]

Chinese PLA Navy's 33rd Naval Escort Taskforce Returns from Gulf of Aden Mission

Chinese #PLANavy's 33rd Naval Escort Taskforce Returns from Gulf of Aden Mission. #China

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s 33rd escort taskforce has returned to a military port in Qingdao on March 25 after successfully completing its escort missions in the Gulf of Aden.

The taskforce consists of the Type 052D “Luyang III” class guided-missile destroyer Xining (117), Type 054A “Jiangkai II” class guided-missile frigate Weifang (550), and the Type 903A “Fuchi” class…