Future proof in terms of upgrading to the possible future sams, future ahms, and also the possibility of expanding its role in the future etc. Leaving it FFBNW would result in almost no extra cost
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054/A FFG Thread II
- Thread starter tphuang
- Start date
A bigger UVLS, redesigned internal spaces, a new combat management system. That's not a small change.
Even with 50 Type-054A in service by 2025, I think there still a suitable role for them in the fleet structure escorting ships which are slower than a carrier or in providing presence.
Anyway, the first updated Type-054B is supposed to start construction during the 2021-2025 period.
There is large cost with the "newer" missles and the need for new electonic/radars/management systems to take advantage of them. I think it would be more useful if they can increase the speed of the 54a by smaller load and/or enhance engine which would allow it to play a wider role in the fleet.
You can think of it in another way. If they are building 20 054A and 12 will be in Huangpu Shipyard, that shipyard is responsible for much of the CCG, MSA and other government ships. You are going to be locking that shipyard exclusively for 054A/B production in the next few years, which means you cannot build new CCG vessels in this time. So its appropriate to move existing PLAN vessels to CCG use.
To be clear, this is what I think is happening.
The PLAN reserved 20 slots for frigates, and another 20 slots for destroyers in other shipyards which will be another story. The orders were for 054A, but they don't necessarily be like the 054A we have seen before. I counted at least a total of four batches or flights of 054A, and this is the fifth one, which on top of the fourth, which alone has many changes away from the first, added AESA target illuminators for the missiles replacing the AJK-16 illuminators. Its possible the next batch of ships may have more changes --- the minimum sized batch we have seen for the 054A is four, with the first four (1st to 4th) and the last four (26th to 30th) are separate batches of their own, with differing features.
The nature of the shipbuilding business is that the customer has to make orders in advance to reserve the building slots. That's what the PLAN has to do. But it does not mean that the last ship made will be the same as the first, and as we have seen with many other ship classes, there are always gradual changes along the way. The customer, in which case the PLAN, can always modify the contract. For example, recently, the order for the Evergreen A class on Jiangnan Shipyards called originally for 23,888 TEU or something. But Evergreen modified their contract so that the ships, which already one has launched, is now over 24,000 TEU.
In short, what is set is stone is that you're going to have 20 additional frigates. What is not set in stone is all the modifications and upgrades to them. This includes the option to switch the remaining reserved 054A to the 054B if they do desire.
They already have an expanded area for commercial ships. Its the small older shed that is used to make the navy and government vessels because the navy and government vessels do not need to be big.
lcloo
Captain
Guangzhou Huangpu has shipyards at different location for military/navy ships construction and commercial ships construction.
What you normally don't see is their shipyard at Longxue which builds large commercial ships. Longxue shipyard is many tens of miles away from the other shipyard that builds PLA navy ships.
Longxue shipyard.
I remember that two 901 class AOE were built here.