With the lack of leaks about the progress of Type 054B, I am more and more convinced that China will go for the dual type surface navy with Type052D/E and Type 055.
We will see in the near future..
We will see in the near future..
054/A FFG Thread II
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
antiterror13
Brigadier
what makes you think they haven't? any link?
I think there is definitely a space for an ASW ship that is frigate sized.
But because there are so many Type-54 already, there's no rush to build a Type-54B, particularly since ASW technology is so uncertain at the moment.
Plus remember that the Type-818 (the coast guard version) is also under construction, and is using up the production slots for the Type 54.
I tend to feel that Chinese Navy sees dual type as Destroyer and Frigate. With Destroyer being 055, 052C/D/B/original, 051B/C and Sov, with Frigate being 054A, 054, 053H3, 056 and 056A. Destroyer is viewed for anti ship, anti air work, while frigates are view for anti-submarine and anti-littoral ship work. The concept of the Corvette as per Western term as a ship type separate from the Frigate does not exist with the Chinese Navy. The antisubmarine frigate like the 056 is viewed as a concept successor to the Soviet ASW frigates of the past, and is referred to in China as a light missile frigate. You can see something similar when the modern Gepard class of the Vietnam Navy is referred to as a frigate but not as a corvette. As long as China feels threatened by submarines, in the China Seas, the littorals and the trade routes in the deep ocean, she will be compelled to build frigates.
I also feel that rapid commissioning of 054A and 056A types is prioritized over the commissioning rate of 052D. This lead to empty destroyers sitting on the docks for months without crews. The scales may have been reversed, with Chinese Navy trying to catch up on destroyer production and commissioning, and frigates taking a breather, although 056 is still on a fast track. But when 056 ends, the Chinese Navy might take a breather on that.
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
Rare shot of Type 054A flanking a Typhoon SSBN:
Are you sure destroyers are sitting in the docks without crews for months? The production plan is known well in advance, so they should have more than enough time to get a crew in place for when the ship is ready.
Remember destroyers are much more complex ships than frigates, so they just might require a lot more time alongside the docks to commission.
Pretty sure just by looking at the dated satellite photos of the Dalian shipyard. There are docks in the shipyard that are reserved for fitting, but there is a dock there that isn't for fitting but a place to put the finished ship prior to delivery, right next to office buildings. Not a place I would see containers that have equipment, and there is little to no personnel on the ship to suggest any form of work being done. You got 052Ds sitting there for months. When the ship is finally accepted, a small tanker would come close to the ship to fuel her, and off she goes.
Training for the destroyers maybe more complex than frigates, which can account for why 054As and 056s are commissioned relatively quickly. Another is that they might be picking more experienced personnel from the smaller ships, and the selection process is more rigorous, after all the destroyers are the "elite" ships, and they pick the best of the best.
These are work best done on the fitting area, and in a place where its convenient to bring the ship back into trials again. The 052D on the right of the picture shows where the fitting area is, and this ship is expected to move in and out to the sea for trials.
See the two 052Ds on the left. The dock is mostly office building, and where the ships are its difficult to get in and out. Dalian parks ships there that are to be delivered, and is the least convenient of the places to do fitting and trial work, but is also the most protected from the sea. Those two 052Ds are both waiting to be sent out, and one of them eventually did, the sooner still waiting but its own event is expected to come soon before the year ends.
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plawolf
Lieutenant General
There could be many reasons for the longer lead time. Just off the top of my head:
-the 052D is a much larger, more complex and capable ship, so it could take correspondingly longer for PLAN testers to check and pass all systems before the navy would formally accept them.
-those are the first 052Ds Dailian has built it I’m not mistaken. The longer layover could be because the PLAN wants to inspect them more thoroughly to make sure they are up to standard.
-If different 052D blks are continuously improved, it could be that more time is needed if the crews are testing out brand new systems and equipment that have not previously been used on 052Ds before. So they are pretty much writing the book as they go, which will again take longer than just following established processes.
-the 052D is a much larger, more complex and capable ship, so it could take correspondingly longer for PLAN testers to check and pass all systems before the navy would formally accept them.
-those are the first 052Ds Dailian has built it I’m not mistaken. The longer layover could be because the PLAN wants to inspect them more thoroughly to make sure they are up to standard.
-If different 052D blks are continuously improved, it could be that more time is needed if the crews are testing out brand new systems and equipment that have not previously been used on 052Ds before. So they are pretty much writing the book as they go, which will again take longer than just following established processes.