052/052B Class Destroyers

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

In these pictures it is nicely visible how smaller the front VLS bay is on 052d is, compared to one on 052c. at a minimum, it looks 20% longer on 052c and 10-15% wider. Though the good deal of that width difference is probably taken up by the canted launch canisters. But length difference is still there.
 

Lion

Senior Member
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

In these pictures it is nicely visible how smaller the front VLS bay is on 052d is, compared to one on 052c. at a minimum, it looks 20% longer on 052c and 10-15% wider. Though the good deal of that width difference is probably taken up by the canted launch canisters. But length difference is still there.

If that is the case, the square VLS shall be able to extend to 40 front and while the back remain 32. That will give it a potent 72 missiles loaded.
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

I didn't say that. if there was room for more, and the placement of another module was worth it, they would've done that. While i do suspect another module could have been squeezed in there, i am guessing it would require some structural/design/layout compromise which was deemed not worth the gain.

It is really highlights how large this new VLS system is, especially in its current 8 cells per module form. At the same time, it shows how relatively small 052's bow area is. A more modern hull with akin to, say, type 45, would have no problem housing even these large VLS modules perpendicular to the main axis. So instead of 32 cells in a well 8-9 meters long, one could house 48 cells in a well some 10 meters long. With at least the same area left around the well as there is now on 052d. Not such a great difference for such an added capability.
 

plawolf

Lieutenant General
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

C6 & D1

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141354v11lnje1qrwreden.jpg

Very nice of them to line these two ships up side-by-side like this, we could hardly have asked for a better image to use to do a comparison between the two variants.

These pictures should put a lot of the old questions and disputes to bed. We can now categorically say that there was no change in external dimensions of the design moving from 052C to 052D.

The new VLS block is also noticeable smaller than some had thought, and it should be possible to fit a 32 cell block of the new VLS on the 054A hull provided there are no unforeseen issues with the internal structure.

What is most interesting about the bow section differences between the C and D is the fact that the main gun appears to have been shifted back by a small, but noticeable distance. My guess is that the reason for doing so is related to the design and layout of the autoloader and magazine for the new gun below decks.

Had they kept the same originally gun, or kept it in the same original position, they should have easily had room to squeeze in an extra 2 blocks of VLS cells to give them a total of 40 missiles up front. The new gun must really be something for them to be willing to make that trade-off.
 

Bose

New Member
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

What is most interesting about the bow section differences between the C and D is the fact that the main gun appears to have been shifted back by a small, but noticeable distance. My guess is that the reason for doing so is related to the design and layout of the autoloader and magazine for the new gun below decks.

Had they kept the same originally gun, or kept it in the same original position, they should have easily had room to squeeze in an extra 2 blocks of VLS cells to give them a total of 40 missiles up front. The new gun must really be something for them to be willing to make that trade-off.
From what it looks to me, I don't think the gun have been shifted from its previous location.
They might not have increased the missile load because it already gained in missile load by replacing the rotary launchers with the more compact ones.

btw, doesn't the AD missile load on 052D stand at 128 in total with 2 x 32 cells each at the front and aft?
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

I see no way to cram 32 cells of this new VLS onto 054a. New VLS modules are visibly larger than ones on the 054a. I don't see how one could fit more than two eight cell modules into the current 054a VLS bay. I guess with some redesign of the decks one could go over the mentioned area and somehow tightly cram 3 such modules (24 cells) but even that would probably be to detriment of the main gun on 054a.

I see no visible difference in gun position on C and D variants of 052. Gun itself is different which, coupled with the irregular shape of the tarp and more room behind the gun due to smaller VLS bay may give the impression the gun position has been moved.

new front VLS well may be a bit more compact than one on 052c, area in square meters per missile wise, but unfortunently it is still quite big and cumbersome and thus hard to arrange and fully utilize the relatively small deck area of the narrow 052 hull.

And no, there aren't 128 cells altogether on 052d but 64. 32 fore and 32 aft. For some weird reason on these images it does appear as if there are 8 separate areas on each well, but that is an optical illusion.
 

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

how on earth did someone take that photo>? looks like someone was flying over them
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

how on earth did someone take that photo>? looks like someone was flying over them

shipyard is quite close to shanghai itself, and there are hundreds of flights there going on in various directions. It is quite possible it was taken from a passenger airliner during final descent or something, when the plane would be under 1 km up in the air.
 

MwRYum

Major
re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer

how on earth did someone take that photo>? looks like someone was flying over them

Just like how folks take aerial shots of Liaoning at Dalian, passenger jets flies in and out of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which the shipyard is just NNW of it. The questions are, whether your flights takes the right route, and whether you seat on the correct side of window seats (even if you got the first 2 right, if you seat where the wings are you're still buggered).
 
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