052C/052D Class Destroyers
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
williamhou
Junior Member
Looks like PLAN base in Sanya. Saw the first 052C there like 15 years ago.
Yes, there are two 052C with the Ninth Destroyer Flotilla in Sanya, DDG 170 and 171. The rest of the six, all four, went straight to the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla in the East China Sea Fleet.
The 12th 052D to get commissioned, DDG 120 Chengdu, leaves Dalian today.
The 12th 052D to get commissioned, DDG 120 Chengdu, leaves Dalian today.
And exactly why do you need it faster? FREMMs take four to five.
Why is that weird? Average years from Launch to Commission is usually 2-3 years.
No need for PLAN to rush unless you expect them to rush stuff into service in anticipation of a conflict.
Anyone know if the 052E (if it ever becomes a reality) will retain the VHF array or have a miniature radar system of the 055.
Lethe
Captain
From a hobbyist perspective it is more the lack of consistency and the increasing gap between the number of vessels launched and number commissioned that makes near-term projections more difficult. By mid-2022 there could plausibly be >22 052Ds in service. Or maybe there will only be 16. Who knows? There is nothing like that level of near-term uncertainty anywhere else in the naval realm today. It's not important, but it is vexing.
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I keep wondering about that. Removing the antenna can open the area for another 16 VLS. Of course that may require that the ship may have to be structurally redrawn in that area. Even if its reduced in size, it won't be that much, and it may still be the same size as the 346A. The difference would be the modules used, going from GaAs to GaN. If there are power and heat limitations, you don't need a smaller array, you just reduce the peak power to it for the transmission. But you will still have the superior sensitivity and the angular resolution from a larger array when it comes to receiving. For power, perhaps three 5MW generators --- half of the 055's six generators might be enough, considering that's still more power than a Flight III Burke.
Comparison of the old and new antenna. The old elements are Yagis with eight facing one side, on a 2 x 4 arrangement, the new ones are loops, back to back arrays, 2 x 8 at one side, 2 x 8 at the other, doubling the number of elements and doubling update rate if the antenna turns at the same speed.
Average time for 052d ships- 3.25 years
(Based on 12 ships upto Chengdu)
Keel to launch- 13 months
Launch to sea trials- 12 months
Sea trials to commissioning-14 months
Dalian made 052D on average took 7 extra months ( 1 month for fitment and 6 for sea trials) than 052D from Jiangnan.
#13-#22 will enter service in just 2.5 years achieving staggered rate of 4/year( maximums included)
#23-#26 will definitively be in water by end 2020, and in service by March'2023( average)