Sub brief has released a YouTube video about the Type 052D and I found it rather perplexing. I haven't heard anything about a Type 052E, all I can find are a lot of fan renders and spec wish list which seem to match the information presented in the video.
I also don't really understand the multiple sections about the HQ-9B being limited to long range air-defence. Does the PLAN not field the HQ-16B on their warships as an intermediate missile? Correct me if I am wrong, but the HQ-16 was designed to intercept low sea skimming missiles? Perhaps more importantly, the HQ-16 fills the gap between the HQ-9 and HQ-10 as a medium range SAM? Is the HQ-10 really limited to firing a single missile every 6 seconds?
All a bit strange to say the least.
We recently had a discussion about that person on the Liaoning and Shandong thread. You should ignore him. He routinely posts lies and exagerations. He labels people who don't agree with him as Wumaos and he almost always answers "secret sources" when asked about his sources.
Two interesting reports … https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/january/lessons-changing-geometry-pla-navy-carrier-ops … and does anyone have more about this? This guy SubBrief knows nothing about PLAN. He consistently spread misinformation on his videos without proof. Just watch...
www.sinodefenceforum.com
Regarding your question, we don't have any reasons to believe the HQ-9 being limited to long range air defense. Being a large missile with a long range, it would have a few kilometer long minimum range but that's about it. Air defense layers are all about magazine depth and cost optimization. You can use long range missiles at virtually all ranges. There are no real layers.
Any air defense missile that can't engage at low flying aircraft has been obsolete since the 1980s. All modern SAMs are capable of that with exception of dedicated ABM and ASAT types. The HQ-16 is not really a discussion in the contect of the 052D. As far as we know the HQ-9 handles area air defense on its own. There is an expected quad-packable missile called 555 missile. That missile will increase the magazine depth when it becomes operational. The HQ-16 would offer nothing to the 052D. Any HQ-16 on board would mean one less HQ-9, and the HQ-16 is a less capable missile.
That 6 seconds thing about the HQ-10 is a weird speculation at best. We don't have any reasons to think that either.
