054B/new generation frigate

Gloire_bb said:

Or that small array under the air search radar is the same illuminator radar we saw on last batches of 054a.

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Those radar strips under the main radar are not illuminators. Being flat they have good azimuth resolution but are sorely lacking in elevation resolution, and you need both for an FCR. They are more likely to be IFF, or less likely low frequency early warning radars. What interests me even more than these are the two small panels directly underneath the main rotating panels. Those could also be IFF, though an even more intriguing possibility is CEC. I have been hunting for CEC panels on PLAN ships for years, but unfortunately the PLAN never wants to tell us what any of these non-descript rectangular panels are used for. I have read the PLAN may have had some form of CEC since around 2018 but I can never be sure which if any panels represent this capability.

TheWanderWit said:

Does any think or know why the 054B, newer 052D's, and even Batch 2 055's aren't using the newer 1130's as seen on the Type 003 and 076?

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Not sure what you're looking at, but the 054B definitely is using the 1130. And AFAIK all the 055s use the 1130.

TheWanderWit said:

Does any think or know why the 054B, newer 052D's, and even Batch 2 055's aren't using the newer 1130's as seen on the Type 003 and 076?

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Not sure what you're looking at, but the 054B definitely is using the 1130. And AFAIK all the 055s use the 1130.

Stealthflanker said:

Nope, that would be a rather retrograde as that would mean the main array has to stop to provide illumination. It's more possible for those 4 white strips to be the datalink channel for the missile. Similar system as Type 052C family.

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Non missile use. You can see them on the Type 075. Much more likely it's IFF.

Gloire_bb said:

It makes sense, but just as a note - small arays under the main S volume search match shape and size of 054a illuminator/targeting X arrays.
And while that can also be a L FoF array (which is, again, sensible) - concurrent PLAN ones match with 4 fixed planks underneath...

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The ones underneath the radar look more like datalinks. Either they are CEC or they are linking with the missile with mid flight updates. Actually if you go back to the 075, there are four panels underneath where there are two ESMs for missile warnings are. I think these are similar to the panels beneath the Janus radar. Note the mini Janus radar aka Type 368 on the second mast of the 075, which is also used on the 054B but hidden underneath the ra-cone (cone shaped radome).

Iron Man said:

Not sure what you're looking at, but the 054B definitely is using the 1130. And AFAIK all the 055s use the 1130.

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I didn't say the 054B wasn't using the 1130, I'm asking as to why the 054B, and other ships like the newer 052DG's and 055's that are about to enter service are still using the 1130's with the original traditional parabolic radar rather than the newer flat-panel array radar on the 1130's that are placed on the Type 003 and 076. I posted a picture of the flat panel one on #2317 from the 076.

TheWanderWit said:

I didn't say the 054B wasn't using the 1130, I'm asking as to why the 054B, and other ships like the newer 052DG's and 055's that are about to enter service are still using the 1130's with the original traditional parabolic radar rather than the newer flat-panel array radar on the 1130's that are placed on the Type 003 and 076. I posted a picture of the flat panel one on #2317 from the 076.

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Because they were ordered and build years ago and inventory needs to be used up.

PiSigma said:

Because they were ordered and build years ago and inventory needs to be used up.

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I figure that's the case, it makes the most sense. That's what my thinking was that I said in #2320.

TheWanderWit said:

Eh. I still don't really see the correlation. I don't see why the changing of a tracking radar correlates with ammo capacity. It's not like the entire design of the 1130 and its ammo housing changed fundamentally just because of that. But who knows, I could be wrong! If I were to guess, probably these "older" 1130's were already ordered and built for some of these newer 054A/B/052D/055's ships well before construction began so that's why they're using them on the ships. I guess we'll see the newer versions on those other ship classes soon enough though.

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TheWanderWit said:

I didn't say the 054B wasn't using the 1130, I'm asking as to why the 054B, and other ships like the newer 052DG's and 055's that are about to enter service are still using the 1130's with the original traditional parabolic radar rather than the newer flat-panel array radar on the 1130's that are placed on the Type 003 and 076. I posted a picture of the flat panel one on #2317 from the 076.

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Contract obligations is the most obvious answer.

A photo of of 054B.

Btw, IIRC 054b introduction tempo even exceeded our expectations.
Compared to constellation...

Did we find out the type of slanted missile used?