054/A FFG Thread II

[Quickie]

One thing we know is that the black paint were applied after the base paint:

I'm still more convinced that it's to keep a clean look of the ship and avoid hard to clean stains.
In this pic you see that the fore mast is closer to the funnel than the rear but only the rear mast is painted black. Also the sensors on the mast tip is not painted where as there are places higher that are. This suggests that the temperature at that point is tolerable and the reason for the black paint is more for appearance.

It could be a type of heat tolerant paint that happens to be black in appearance. Black body is both a good absorber and emitter which is not good for low heat signature, but this should not be an issue if the heat tolerant paint is also a very bad heat conductor.

 

[franco-russe]

I've compiled this list from previous posts to help me keep track and i would appreciate any help to correct or improve the data.Thanks to all for the info initially and in advance for further help,cheers.

That basically corresponds to what I have, which is probably not an accident. Very few remarks:

546 is an ESF ship to me (as is 547, which you also have). I have not heard of the name YANCHENG, do you have a source for that?

I think 549 commissioned earlier, I have late April (tentatively 24.04.11).

538 commissioned earlier this month.

And, nitty-gritty, 549 launched 20.05.10, 550 20.05.11

 

[zoom]

@franco-russe - Thanks for the response ,i appreciate it. With regards to 546 i think i got the name Yancheng from Wikipedia and the launch dates of 549 and 550 correspond to what's listed there too. Of course that is not to say it is factual but i can change if/when i need to.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[franco-russe]

It had not occurred to me that one could find useful information on PLAN in Wiki. The few times I have looked up something, it was pretty disappointing. But the 054 article was rather good.

Yancheng is in Sichuan, and thus very unlikely as a name for a NSF ship.

 

[zoom]

in #999 a new member claimed

I double HP 6 would be named Siping, a northern town.

Latest discussion in HSH forum confirmed that HD 5 named Yancheng and would join NSF. Together with 538 Yantai, that would be all 054A NSF shall take.

HP 6, probably 550, will join ESF.

I don't know if they are citing Wikipedia or they know another source as i don't frequent that forum.

 

[antiterror13]

According to Wiki, the cost of 054A is around $250M. It is hard to believe that cheap, I would imagine it is around $500-$600M. Perhaps the cost ($250M) is only the ship, without weapons, radar, etc ... any thought ?

 

[no_name]

It's cheaper than one F-22 if you factor in the development costs.

 

[HKSDU]

well its about right considering the massive 20,000t Type 071 is about ~$400 million a piece.

 

[franco-russe]

About the paint problem, it used to be an easy way to identify the builder of 054A: Huangpu painted the funnel black from the outset, while Hudong kept it grey. Only after HD units had joined an operational were the funnel tops painted black.

 

[franco-russe]

I must admit that I had entirely forgotten that discussion, probably because I dismissed the report as not credible.

However, to harmonise the various pieces of information, I think it is entirely possible, and maybe even likely, that HD 5 joins NSF, but then as 550 SIPING. In that case, HP 6 and HD 6 will be 546 (YANCHENG) and 547. We shall know in March-April 2012, when HD 5 and HP 6 commission.

It was much easier in the old days, when ships had their pennant numbers put on while they were still on the building ways!