re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer
The way i see it, ships can have the following possible qualities: asw self-protection, asw fleet-protection, antiship warfare, selfprotection, fleet protection, land attack and air defense&denial.
It is very important to note the last one. Air defense and air denial. While type 45 is a great ship for selfprotection and fleet protection, its air denial capabilities are somewhat lacking. Burkes with their long ranged sm-2, and especially with the future sm-6, will be great at air denial while perhaps sacrificing some fleet protection capabilities. But we're talking about 052c/d here.
HQ9, like any such missile (s300 and patriot) is not a missile that is very good at anti-missile roles. It's designed to intercept planes at great distances. It is quite possible its actual range is more than usually quoted 120 or 150 km. With proper autopilot, proper rocket engine and proper miniaturised electronics it could be able to cover 200 km.
In most cases, however, it will not be intercepting anything at 200 km or 150 km, even if it has the range. Why? Because enemies will rather opt to fly low. Precisely because of the range. So while it didn't intercept anything, it did deny the agressor the high altitude, and with it, it denied him the radar range and good fuel consumption. That is the air denial part of the role any good AAW destroyer has.
Air denial, however, works only if one has good coverage. that can mean enough ships, but it also means having enough missiles. Because if one lacks enough missiles, the enemy may conclude it is worth risking flying high, trying to evade as many missiles as possible, perhaps endure the interception and then saturate the defender and get in firing range to endanger the fleet.
Historically, even the missile systems that are 10 or so years more advanced than the defender, miss more often than they hit. And that efficiency gets worse still if the missile is a big non-agile fast flyer. Missiles that are technologically behind the defender just 5 or 10 years are even worse. Half a dozen of them may be necessary to score one hit. Sea dart, which was relatively modernized in 1982., and also quite more modern than its targets - required 3 missiles fired per one hit. It is not unimaginable hq9, even if its modernized form, would require double that number.
If 052d ends up carrying 32 hq9 in some mission - it will do worse in air denial role than a 052c. It may be better at fleet protection, of course, but other ships can carry missiles and radars for that. While only 052c/d can use hq9.
If the same 052d is given a different loadout and is carrying 48 hq9 -it will do a bit better in air denial role than 052c, because of its radar. Fleet protection can still be given to other ships, if needed. Naturally, if overall number of vls cells on 052d allows that ship to field not only 48 hq9 but also 64 smaller, fleet protection missiles, its overal effectiveness within the fleet will be much greater.
But at the same time - 32 missiles should be enough for selfdefence, why not play into each ship's strengths? 052d is the one with huge radar arrays and probably brand new air defense suite. it is only normal it should receive missile loadout the maximize those capabilities.
i wouldn't put rocket boosted torpedoes nor LACMs on those ships, at least not with 64 and certainly not with only 48 cells overall.
While there certainly is a need for such missiles as well, other, less expensive ships can do those. Ships without huge radar arrays and advanced defensive suites that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. (PAAMS on each type 45 costs 400 million pounds. It is by far the priciest part of the whole ship) 054a can allegedly carry rocket boosted torpedoes. Great, let them do the job. LACMs can be carried by literally any ship, no sensor is needed for them, just a datalink.
While using a few different ships rather than one multirole class may be more expensive and perhaps even less efficient resource-wise, until a good multirole design is ready - it seems like the only prudent choice. A 7000 ton hull and 64 cells is simply not enough for both a good set of sensors and defensive command suites and a good loadout of various missiles. Especially so if those 64 cells also have to include anti ship missiles. And ESPECIALLY so if we're actually talking about just 48 cells.
