Progress update on one of the early 054 units. Some had hoped a forward VLS would be installed in the step-up structure just forward of the bridge, but that now likely will not be the case. The second image shows a turret ring being installed, most likely for a CIWS.
I don't know if that is a turret ring for a CIWS. It can be the remnant of the ring the HQ-7 launcher was sitting on. The HQ-7 isn't going to come back however.
People don't seem to notice that the top of the 054 has now changed, because it looks much more like the 054A now. The 054 is quite different from the 054A at the top of the bridge. First you see this step or stand that is used for the Type 345 radar, which is the fire control and guidance radar for the HQ-7. That step is now removed. The Type 345 radar is not coming back. By extension, neither will the HQ-7. The second change is that the stand for the Type 344 gunnery radar has now been removed. The stand is there to clear the Type 344 over the Type 345. Now that the Type 345 is gone, the ship removed the stand so the gunnery radar has been lowered.
See this vs.
vs this.
The question is now whether the Type 344 radar will be retained. If the 344 radar is retained, so will the 100mm gun. But if they changed it to a Type 347G radar or a Type 349 --- the difference is the size and the shape of the dome face, then the gun will be a 76mm.
At the back, they retained the stand for the rear facing Type 347G radar.
The 054A doesn't have this stand at the rear. The 054A/P does however, but it is for the metric wave radar they put. On the 054's case, this stand is for the Type 347G gunnery radar, which is used for the AK-630 turrets at the back of the ship.
At this point, you have two options here, with one option having two suboptions.
The first option is that they are retaining the Type 347G radar, with the first suboption being keeping the four AK-630 guns. The second suboption is that they will the type 730B instead, which is a Type 730 CIWS without the radar and the EO on top of the turret. This is the set up used with the 053H3 refit and the F22P frigate. Maybe instead of the 730B, you may have something like a "1130B" instead, that is, two 1130 CIWS turret only without the local radar and EO on top of the turrets.
The second option is that they put a metric wave radar on this stand, and used more conventional CIWS, that is the CIWS having their local radar and CIWS on top of the turret housing.
My hunch on this is that they will take first option with the first suboption. They will retain the gunnery radar and the four AK-630. But with a twist. Instead of the Type 347G radar, they may use the Type 349 gunnery radar instead. The physical difference between the Type 347 and the Type 349 is small, they seem identical, except the 349 has a flat face instead of a cone dome. The 349 is used on the Type 071 as the gunnery radar for the AK-630s in that ship, as well as for the DDG 139 and 137 refits, for fire control of the AK-630s there.
I do not see the stands for the Type 366-2 being added to the side of the funnel, so this means the ship ain't going to have the Type 366 radar added on top of the bridge.
From here, it looks the refit will be a bit more conservative and isn't going to change much from the previous. I won't be surprised they may put an HQ-10 launcher at the front, maybe the 24 launcher version.
I only see one minor change. The circular SATCOM used to be more aft of the gunnery radar stand has been moved forward. Maybe there is less interference and more clearance that way.
