Re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer
I too think that more and more ships are going the route of truly universal vls systems that launch antiship missiles as well. Harpoon block 3 has that capability, but USN simply doesn't want more ship launched harpoons.
Indians have VLS ashm, russians too. When LRASM derived missile becomes available, us will join (rejoin) that club. Hence, since new chinese VLS is large enough to hold pretty much whatever is needed, i do believe that VLS will be holding antiship missiles in the not so distant future. Maybe some 052d on some missions won't have any, if they're there just to defend Liaoning for example. But then other 052d, a part of a smaller surface task force may have 16 cells filled them. Some future ships like 055, if it does end up having even more VLS cells, may in some situations hold even more.
Back in the 80s Soviets and US did have ships with more than 8 antiship missiles. Cold war ended, priorities changed so armaments changed too. But i definitely see a slow comeback of more than 8 ashms per large ship. Whereeas in the 90s there practically weren't any such designs (aside for those few chinese ones) from 2000 onward we've seen at least 5 different new classes of ships having more ashms as standard loadout. And when lrasm based missile arrives those numbers may double in a matter of years. Are there navies with different needs? Sure, germany's new large frigate won't have any vls for example. But overall, the number of ships capable of launching more and more ashms seems to be rising. I guess we'll see how all that develops in the next decade or so.
I too think that more and more ships are going the route of truly universal vls systems that launch antiship missiles as well. Harpoon block 3 has that capability, but USN simply doesn't want more ship launched harpoons.
Indians have VLS ashm, russians too. When LRASM derived missile becomes available, us will join (rejoin) that club. Hence, since new chinese VLS is large enough to hold pretty much whatever is needed, i do believe that VLS will be holding antiship missiles in the not so distant future. Maybe some 052d on some missions won't have any, if they're there just to defend Liaoning for example. But then other 052d, a part of a smaller surface task force may have 16 cells filled them. Some future ships like 055, if it does end up having even more VLS cells, may in some situations hold even more.
Back in the 80s Soviets and US did have ships with more than 8 antiship missiles. Cold war ended, priorities changed so armaments changed too. But i definitely see a slow comeback of more than 8 ashms per large ship. Whereeas in the 90s there practically weren't any such designs (aside for those few chinese ones) from 2000 onward we've seen at least 5 different new classes of ships having more ashms as standard loadout. And when lrasm based missile arrives those numbers may double in a matter of years. Are there navies with different needs? Sure, germany's new large frigate won't have any vls for example. But overall, the number of ships capable of launching more and more ashms seems to be rising. I guess we'll see how all that develops in the next decade or so.
