Chinese navy may launch eighth Type 055 stealth destroyer later this year

Vessel is being painted at a shipyard in Dalian, indicating it is close to being launched, according to reports

But experts say it could take up to five years for all the destroyers designed for China’s aircraft carrier strike groups to be combat-ready Minnie Chan Published: 11:00pm, 20 Aug, 2020 China is expected to launch an eighth guided-missile destroyer designed for the navy’s aircraft carrier strike groups later this year, according to reports on mainland social media sites. The vessel will complete the first group of Type 055 destroyers, but naval experts said it could take up to five years for all the warships to be combat-ready – normally a few years after they enter service – because of their advanced design. The destroyer is being painted at a shipyard in Dalian where a contractor carries out much of China’s naval shipbuilding, indicating it is close to being launched, according to the reports posted on Weibo and WeChat. The Chinese navy just received the seventh Type 055 destroyer in May. And with the first, the Nanchang, formally entering service in January – 2½ years after its launch – naval experts said it could take another three years before all eight are in service following their sea trials. The second is still undergoing trials after it was launched two years ago. With a displacement of 12,000 tonnes, the Type 055 is the world’s second-most powerful destroyer after the US Navy’s DDG-1000, or Zumwalt class. It was designed to guard the country’s next-generation Type 002 aircraft carrier, which has the world’s most advanced electromagnetic catapult systems. The stealth destroyer can fire surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, land-attack cruise missiles and missile-launched anti-submarine torpedoes. However, Lu Li-Shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s Naval Academy in Kaohsiung, said problems that could cause electromagnetic interference would need to be overcome, adding that the destroyers would play a role as air defence command centres. “Unlike other destroyers equipped with complicated antenna devices on the masts, the Type 055 has the advanced enclosed integrated mast, which allows it to communicate with other platforms,” Lu said. “But that means more time is needed for them to go through complicated and comprehensive tests before they can join the navy.” State media reported last month that some Chinese warships had been equipped with advanced 20-megawatt turbo generators that can power high-energy weapons like lasers and rail guns. The reports did not confirm which ships had the powerful generators, but a military source close to the navy said they included the eighth Type 055 and some of its sister ships. The units will quadruple the power-generating capacity on the warships, making full electric propulsion possible. As well as its aircraft carrier strike groups, China plans to form three amphibious assault groups, each including a Type 075 warship and a Type 055 destroyer equipped with upgraded high-energy cannons, according to a report on War Industry Black Technology, a social media platform run by Shenzhen-based Quantum Defence Cloud Technology, on Wednesday. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said a decision had yet to be made on whether a second group of Type 055s would be developed because the new destroyers would first have to be tested and operated for some years. Source: SCMP “Chinese navy may launch eighth Type 055 stealth destroyer later this year” Note: This is SCMP’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

How China’s Navy Will Rise: More Nuclear Submarines and Aircraft Carriers:

Should the world be worried? by Stratfor Worldview May 8, 2019 Supplementing the addition of this hardware will be a continued focus on the country’s logistics fleet, which is key to conducting blue-water operations — sustained, long-range maritime operations over oceans and deep waters — and securing logistics bases around the globe. All fitted out, China’s second-ever aircraft carrier — and the first built entirely in China — is set to sail for sea trials (This reblogger’s note: the Chinese homegrown aircraft carrier has already been commissioned and named the Shandong now). The construction of the aircraft carrier represents a significant milestone in China’s steady rise as a major naval power. And barring any hiccups, Beijing will continue its ascent in the following decade to the degree that it challenges the United States for naval supremacy – at least in East Asia. (This first appeared earlier in the year.) From a Coastal Defense Force to a World Power The might of the Chinese navy today is far beyond what it was just 30 years ago. As recently as the 1990s, it was effectively a coastal defense force with little ability to challenge its U.S. counterpart. But quick as the Chinese navy’s rise since then has been, its tremendous progress stems from evolution rather than revolution, as Beijing has carefully and incrementally introduced new designs and equipment into the navy before proceeding to intensified shipbuilding. At the turn of the millennium, Beijing began producing new indigenous vessels, but many of the initial designs, such as the Type 051C destroyer, depended heavily on Russian and other foreign technology for their main armaments. At the same time, China continued to purchase Russian warships, such as Sovremenny-class destroyers and Kilo-class submarines, as a hedge against the potential failure of their new designs. Over the course of the century’s first decade, China restricted itself to constructing small batches of each warship type; only after engaging in comprehensive testing for each type did the country slowly transition to improved designs. This decade of cautious experimentation gave the country’s navy the confidence to settle on reliable models for high-rate production. Chinese shipyards rapidly rolled out the Type 054A frigate, the Type 039A submarine, the Type 052D destroyer (This reblogger’s note: China is building 8 bigger Type 055 destroyers with greater fire power, one of which has been commissioned, two, undergoing sea trial, three, launched and outfitting and two, being built. Please refer to https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china’s-giant-new-warship-packs-killer-long-range-missiles-109786 and https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3045764/chinas-most-advanced-destroyer-nanchang-formally-enters-service) and the Type 056 corvette, making the four classes of vessel the mainstay of the naval inventory. Such production, however, did not necessarily increase the size of the fleet but replaced aging and obsolete vessels that had remained in the naval inventory since the 20th century. As naval authorities complete this modernization drive over the next two years, China is poised to significantly expand its strength and capabilities. The pace of China’s naval exercises and training regimen is already unprecedented, and the tempo is only likely to continue. The elimination of obsolete warships will provide China with an opportunity to improve not just the quality of its vessels, but also their quantity. If the country maintains its current rate of production, it could add approximately three destroyers each year from 2020 to 2030. But an increase in the number of modern destroyers, frigates, corvettes and diesel-electric submarines only constitutes one aspect of the navy’s growing strength. Over the next 10 years, China will construct next-generation nuclear submarines that emit far less sound, build new types of aircraft carriers equipped with catapult launch systems and expand its amphibious fleet with the introduction of Type 075-class amphibious assault ships. Supplementing the addition of this hardware will be a continued focus on the country’s logistics fleet, which is key to conducting blue-water operations — sustained, long-range maritime operations over oceans and deep waters — and securing logistics bases around the globe. Closing the Gap The coming decade of development will significantly reduce, but not eliminate, the gap between China’s navy — already the second most powerful maritime force on the planet — and the U.S. Navy by 2030. But even as China comes closer to rivaling the United States in global maritime strength, the two countries will continue to excel in different facets. Because the United States is largely secure and unchallenged in its home waters, it will retain its traditional focus on constructing a blue-water force. Accordingly, Washington has long emphasized aircraft carriers, large surface combatants and a sizable fleet replenishment force that can project influence and force around the globe. China will strive to develop these same blue-water capabilities with similar vessels, but it will focus on exercising power closer to home in the South China and East China seas. As a result, China will maintain a much larger fleet of small surface combatants and diesel-electric submarines — vessels that are ideal for combat in littoral environments close to home ports. Other factors are also likely to consolidate China’s control of its immediate vicinity, including improved command and control, better training, greater access to land-based air power and missile forces, the existence of geographic chokepoints, as well as the concentrated nature of its forces – in contrast to the more dispersed deployment of U.S. forces. By 2030, the Chinese will likely be the dominant naval force up to an initial island chain that encircles the Yellow, East China and South China seas, while it will also enjoy significant advantages out to a farther limit running roughly from Japan to Indonesia through islands such as Guam and Palau. The United States, naturally, will remain largely dominant on the rest of the world’s oceans and seas. Predicting China’s potential naval strength beyond 2030 is impossible, but the country could well seek to challenge the United States’ maritime dominance even farther out in the Pacific Ocean. For the decade to come, however, the country’s navy is set to go from strength to strength. It may not become the master of the open seas, but it will become the master of its own maritime backyard. China’s Navy Prepares to Close the Gap on the U.S. is republished with the permission of Stratfor Worldview, a geopolitical intelligence and advisory firm. Source: National Interest “How China’s Navy Will Rise: More Nuclear Submarines and Aircraft Carriers:” Note: This is National Interest’s article I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the article’s views. Some of my views can be seen in this reblogger’s note Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China Declares Latest Type 052D Destroyer and Type 054A Frigate ‘Combat Ready’

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has declared two new surface combatants ready for combat. By Franz-Stefan Gady March 10, 2020 The Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer Guiyang (pennant number 119) and the Type 054A Jiangkai II-class frigate Zaozhuang (pennant number 542) were officially declared ready for combat earlier this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), according to Chinese media reports. The two surface combatants, both of which entered service with the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet in February 2019, underwent a three-day “all-subject training examination” in the first week of March, after which they were declared combat ready. Chinese state-owned media underlined that it took less than a year from commissioning to achieve full combat readiness status for the two warships. The Guiyang is the eighth of the Type 052D guided missile destroyers, which are alternatively constructed at a shipyard in Dalian in northeast China or at the Jiangnan shipyard, located on Changxing Island in Shanghai. The first-of-class Kunming was launched in August 2012 and commissioned into the PLAN in March 2014. Each Type 052D displaces 7,000 tons and is 157 meters in length. The destroyers are multipurpose surface combatants and can be deployed for a variety of tasks including anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine warfare operations. I previously explained the Type 052D’s combat systems: A Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer is equipped with 64 vertical launch cells, each capable of carrying one to four missiles. The ship carries one of the PLAN’s deadliest anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), the vertically-launched YJ-18 ASCM. Next to its YJ-18 arsenal, Type 052D guided-missile destroyers are also equipped with modern HQ-9 surface-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. Type 052D warships are also fitted with a powerful Type 346A active electronically scanned array (AESA), a H/LJQ-364 low-altitude search radar, H/LJQ-366 over-the-horizon surface search & targeting radar, and H/LJQ-517B air search radar, as well as fire control radars. The PLAN is estimated to deploy up to 23 052Ds in the near future. (This reblogger’s note: 052D is followed by 12,000-ton Type 055 destroyer, one of which has been commissioned, two, undergoing sea trial, three, launched and outfitting and two, being built. Please refer to https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/china’s-giant-new-warship-packs-killer-long-range-missiles-109786 and https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3045764/chinas-most-advanced-destroyer-nanchang-formally-enters-service) The Zaozhuang is the PLAN’s 30th Type 054A frigate and reportedly will be the final ship of the class. The ships were alternatively constructed at Huangpu shipyard in Guangzhou or at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. Type 054A frigates are multirole surface combatants with about half of the class fitted with variable depth sonar and towed array sonar for anti-submarine warfare operations. As I noted before, the frigates have anti-surface capabilities and also can defend against aerial threats: The stealth frigate is armed with HQ-16 medium range air defense missiles and boosts a 32-cell vertical launching system (VLS) in the forward section, capable of firing anti-ship and air defense missiles as well as anti-submarine torpedoes. It also features a Russian-made AK-630 fully automatic naval close in weapon system and a Chinese variant of the AK-176 76 millimeter naval gun. (…) In addition, the ship is equipped with a Type 382 phased-array radar system and Type 344 and Type 345 multifunctional fire control radar systems, capable of over the horizon targeting. Type 054A frigates also feature a hangar capable of accommodating Kamov K-27 and Harbin Z-9 helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). (…) The ship has a standard range of about 3,800 nautical miles—7,037 kilometers–at a speed of 18 knots, and a maximum un-refueled radius of 12,000 kilometers or 8,000 miles. There has been speculation that the Type 054A class will be followed by an improved 5,000-ton variant, the Type 054B or Jiangkai III-class guided-missile frigate, but there is no evidence that construction of the new class has begun. Source: The Diplomat “China Declares Latest Type 052D Destroyer and Type 054A Frigate ‘Combat Ready’” Note: This is The Diplomat’s article I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the article’s views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China’s most advanced destroyer the Nanchang formally enters service in ‘leap forward’ for navy

Ship is the first Type 055 guided missile destroyer to be commissioned into the PLA Navy and is one of the most advanced warships of its type in the world The next-generation warships will play a key role in aircraft carrier groups in future Minnie Chan Published: 5:00am, 13 Jan, 2020 Updated: 5:00am, 13 Jan, 2020 The new Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang was commissioned at a ceremony in Qingdao on Sunday. Photo: Handout China officially commissioned its first Type 055 guided missile destroyer, the Nanchang, on Sunday in what it hailed as a “leap forward” for its naval modernisation programme. A grand ceremony was held in Qingdao, a major naval base in the eastern province of Shandong, on Sunday morning, state news agency Xinhua reported. The Nanchang was launched in June 2017 and made its public debut in a naval parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy in April last year. However, military sources said that its outfitting had not been completed at the time of the parade. “Nanchang made an appearance at the parade as part of the celebration but much of its equipment – including radars, communications and weapons systems and other works – had not actually been finished,” one PLA insider said. Another military source said the Nanchang, which has a displacement of 12,000 tonnes, had been undergoing sea trials and weapon systems tests in the past eight months. Xinhua said the commissioning of the Nanchang, which is equipped with air-defence, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, represented a “generational leap” in the Chinese navy’s destroyers. It is seen as one of the world’s most advanced ships of its type – behind only the US Navy’s Zumwalt class – and is Asia’s largest and strongest destroyer. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the Nanchang and its five sisters ships would have a key role in China’s aircraft carrier strike groups. “Both the design and the equipment of Nanchang have reached international standards. It will play the role of bodyguard for China’s fledgling aircraft carrier fleet in the future as Beijing plans to build at least four carrier strike groups,” Li said. One PLA insider said that naval top brass had deliberately chosen to commission Nanchang a day after Taiwan’s elections to avoid antagonising the island. The insider said January 11 was one of the military’s preferred dates for commissioning its new and advanced weapon systems, but added: “The PLA is well aware that if the commissioning was held on Saturday, which was also 11 January, then it might have an undesirable effect on the Taiwan elections. For the same reason the mainland side has scaled down activities such as air patrols near Taiwan over the past few months,” the insider said. Taiwan authorities have often accused Beijing of sabre-rattling and have blamed activities such as military drills in the Taiwan Strait for poor relations between the two sides. Source: SCMP “China’s most advanced destroyer the Nanchang formally enters service in ‘leap forward’ for navy” Note: This is Reuters’ report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China shows off its new destroyer during massive display of naval power

Ryan Pickrell Apr 23, 2019, 12:02 PM China celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of thePeople’s Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao on Tuesday, showing off some new weapons systems.

During the parade, which was shrouded in fog, mist, and rain, the Chinese navy showed off the Nanchang, the first of the newgeneration of Type 055 destroyers.

The new destroyers are the most heavily armed of China’s surface combatants, with 112 universal vertical-launch-system cells capable of firing anti-air, anti-ship, anti-submarine, andland-attack missiles. China showed off a new naval weapon, the first of a new generation of hard-hitting destroyers, at a celebration of the70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy on Tuesday. During the celebratory maritime parade, the Nanchang (101), a 10,000-ton Type 055 stealth destroyer, sailed onto the scene, Reuters reported. The ship is armed with 112 vertical-launch cells with theability to fire HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-shipcruise missiles, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles. The maingun is a H/PJ-38 130-mm gun, but there are reports that thisvessel could eventually be equipped with a railgun. The vessel uses X- and S-band radars, allowing it to track stealthy objects of various sizes. The destroyer, technically large enough to be classified as a cruiser, has a substantial payload capacity that trails the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers but exceeds the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which have only 96 vertical-launch cells.The ship’s primary rival is said to be the Zumwalt-class destroyers, which continue to suffer from a variety of developmental problems. The Nanchang, which was launched in 2017, started seatrials in August 2018, China Daily reported. Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told theGlobal Times that the public debut at the fleet review on Tuesday indicates that the vessel is now combat-ready. Additional Type 055 destroyers are in the works. A second shipwas launched in April 2018, and two more were launched in July.These vessels, like the Nanchang, are expected to eventuallybecome heavily armed escort ships for China’s emerging carrierforce. While the Liaoning – a Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser refitted to serve as China’s first aircraft carrier – was present at the naval parade in Qingdao on Tuesday, China’s first domestically produced aircraft carrier, which just completed its fifth sea trial, remained at the shipyard in Dalian. A total of 32 vessels and 39 aircraft participated in China’s celebratory fleet review. Among the other vessels on display was an apparently modified version of China’s Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines. China also showed off a new type of conventional submarine. China’s naval modernization is being watched carefully in Washington as the US shifts its focus from the counter insurgency fight to potential high-end conflict. The Army, the Navy, and the Marines are all increasingly looking at the kind of anti-ship weaponry required to punch holes in China’s fleet, a necessary capability as China strengthens its military. Chinese media said the Type 055 destroyer is a “symbol of [the] Chinese navy’s development.” Source: Business Insider “China shows off its new destroyer during massive display of naval power” Note: This is Business Insider’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China’s 055 Destroyer to Be Armed with Railguns, Laser Guns

Mil.huanqiu.com says in its report yesterday that according to Chinese military experts, China’s 12,500-ton Type 055 destroyer will serve as flagship of a carrier strike fleet as it is a satisfactory stealth warship with air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine and ground attack capabilities and as it is much bigger than Type 052D destroyer to contain equipment and provide room for command of a large fleet. Military experts believe the destroyer will be armed with railguns and laser guns to enhance its fire power. According to military expert Yin Zhuo, there is no significant technological disparity between this destroyer and the advanced warships of the advanced countries in the world. Another military expert Cao Weidong believes that Type 055 is rival to US Ticonderoga-class cruiser in displacement and combat capabilities Source: mil.huanqiu.com “Expert: 055 destroyer may additionally be armed with electromagnetic gun to serve as ‘chief of guard’ for an aircraft carrier” (summary by Chan Kai Yee based on the report in Chinese) Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China launches two destroyers with tech similar to US Navy’s Aegis system

By: Andrew C. Jarocki 11 hours ago WASHINGTON ― China has launched a pair of new destroyers on July 3 from their dry docks in Dalian, Liaoning province, which borders North Korea, according to Chinese media. The vessels are designed for long-range air defense, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare. The completed construction of the two destroyers, widely known as Type 055 vessels, contributes to the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s determined naval buildup. The recently launched vessels are equipped with multifunction phased array radars similar to the U.S. Navy’s Aegis system and could accompany future carrier battle groups as China continues to expand its carrier program. China’s ambitions for a blue-water navy are no secret. In November 2012, then-President Hu Jintao reported to the Chinese Communist Party Congress his desire to “enhance our capacity for exploiting marine resource … and build China into a strong maritime power.” Source: DefenseNews “China launches two destroyers with tech similar to US Navy’s Aegis system” Note: This is DefenseNews’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

Mass Production of China’s 055 Destroyer, 2 to Be Launched This Year

Type 055 destroyer is China’s newest large destroyer with greater displacement as well as fire power than US Arleigh Burke II. It has 112 VSL units higher than Arleigh Burke II’s 96. Moreover, nearly 100 of them are multiple-purpose VSL able to launch various kinds of air defense and ground- and surface-attack missiles. China only launched one Type 055 destroyer in June 2017, but a recent photo of two Type 055s with Chinese national flags is viral on the Internet. A people.com.cn reporter interviewed Chinese military expert Yin Zhuo about the photo. Yin said China has the shipbuilding capabilities to mass produce Type 055 destroyers so that it is entirely possible for two such ships to be launched within this year. In fact, I had a post “China begins work on sixth Type 055 destroyer” on March 16 on China having begun to build its sixth Type 055 destroyer. Comment by Chan Kai Yee on people.com.cn’s report in Chinese titled “Yin Zhuo: There will be mass production of 055s: It is entirely possible to launch two 055s this year”. Full text of the report in Chinese can be viewed at http://mil.huanqiu.com/world/2018-06/12163720.html. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...

China begins work on sixth Type 055 destroyer

Sean O’Connor, Indianapolis – IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly 14 March 2018 Recently captured commercial satellite imagery shows that China has begun construction at its shipyard in Dalian of the sixth Type 055 guided-missile destroyer on order for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The imagery shows that the pierside assembly of the first modules for hull 6 began between 21 December 2017 and 3 January 2018. Two Type 055 hulls (3 and 4), both of which are in the late stages of assembly, are present in a neighbouring dry dock. Hulls 1 and 2 are being built at the Jiangnan shipyard facilities near Shanghai where work on hull 5 began in November 2017. Source: Jane’s 360 “China beings work on sixth Type 055 destroyer” Note: This is Jane’s 360’s report I post here for readers’ information. It does not mean that I agree or disagree with the report’ views. Share this: Twitter

Facebook

Like this: Like Loading...