055 DDG Large Destroyer Thread
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Nice.
I still want to see a pic from the aft looking forward to gt a better look at the landing deck and particularly the hangar.
It looks like they are testing a satcom on the step platform:
IMO this gives even more credence to the likelihood that this platform is an intentional part of the final design and also that the amidships weather deck is unlikely to be at 02-level in the final design, otherwise this satcom would essentially be sitting flat on the deck itself. Also note that they are testing placement of the chaff/flare launchers on the weather deck at its current 01-level, further making an eventual 'raising' of this weather deck unlikely.
IMO this gives even more credence to the likelihood that this platform is an intentional part of the final design and also that the amidships weather deck is unlikely to be at 02-level in the final design, otherwise this satcom would essentially be sitting flat on the deck itself. Also note that they are testing placement of the chaff/flare launchers on the weather deck at its current 01-level, further making an eventual 'raising' of this weather deck unlikely.
I think the placement of those possible chaff/flare launchers is the most convincing argument for why the platform deck may be the amidships weather deck so far.
That said, it's a little bit strange that they have additional chaff/flare launchers at the amidships position when the mock up had the port side ones atop the hangar structure instead... they could potentially be testing different positions on the starboard mock up, or it may even mean the real thing will have a whopping eight MRLS chaff/flare launchers...
However I wouldn't necessarily take the presence of a dome covered by a tarp as a convincing indicator of anything, after all they've added and removed a variety of antennae on the mock up over the last few years.
In the past they've had a green tarp covered antennae atop the white aft mast, as well as whip antennae atop the step platform, both of which have since been removed.
If the domes on the step platform that we see are a permanent or longer term fixture, then that could be more indicative... but by then we will probably have clear pictures of what the 055 actually looks like anyway.
I think they are just testing various positions for the chaff/flare launchers, not that there will be 8 of them. Even the Liaoning does not have 8 chaff/flare launchers; it has 6 I believe.
Well it is some kind of antenna, and it's being tested on the step platform. The more equipment we see being tested on that platform, the less likely it is to be a temporary arrangement.
Yes, that is possible
Maybe. Or maybe the more antennae we see on the platform and being cycled through could suggest that it is not meant to be exclusive for the mock up with the various antennae there for testing purposes only?
Who knows...
what are they doing in this picture? adding windows to the bridge?
They went from 3-5-3 to 4-7-4 windows.
This does not seem to me to be a likely possibility. We have had a pair of whip antennas and now a radome and 2 chaff/flare launchers tested on either the step platform or the weather deck in their current positions. Yes, they are there for testing purposes, but they are there for testing purposes for the intention of possibility placing them on the 055 specifically, in which case there is no reason not to configure the deck according to what is going to be on the final design. You are not just testing their X & Y positions but also their Z positions. The evidence against an 02-level weather deck is mounting with each new addition.
This also means that if the mystery module is the 055, it must look like this (or else it is not the 055):
On the other hand, they got rid of this particular hull sloping configuration when they transitioned from 054 to 054A, so I don't know why it would make a comeback with the 055.
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