Let's get real: he is totally speculating. Just like we are.I am not alone in that opinion those bricks above the main radars are IFF.
They unequivocally do NOT have thick backs.The smaller units to my eyes have thick backs. Not to mention there is something behind them. That looks more like a full radar set to me.
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At the level of an individual ship, a larger VLS inventory does lower the cost of each launch.
But not if missiles are expensive, you have a budget to work to, and we look at a strategic level
Eg.
Option A. Type-55 with 4 reloads. Missile Cost = $2M
Ship cost: $857M
Missile cost $896M (448missiles @ $2M)
Total Cost = $1753M
In comparison, for the same money, you can buy:
Option B. Type-52D with 9-10 reloads. Same missile cost
Ship cost $500M
Missile cost $1252M (626missiles @ $2M)
Your cost per missile is significantly lower with a smaller Type-52D, if you expect a longer campaign.
NB. 4 reloads is based on the PLARF estimates of launchers and missiles.
Let's get real: he is totally speculating. Just like we are.
They unequivocally do NOT have thick backs.
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The smaller ones on the 055 are far closer in size to the IFF units on the 052D.
whyImagine a ship fires off all its missiles and has to reload the VLS in port.
Call it one sortie per week from mainland China.
why
#7351 AndrewS, Yesterday at 8:38 PM
do you have Type-55 with 4 reloads
and
Type-52D with 9-10 reloads
??
in other words, why does your "sortie per week from mainland China"
#7355 AndrewS, Yesterday at 9:32 PM
significantly differ between Type 55 and Type 052D, Andy
AFAIK, reload at sea is technically not feasible based on USN assessment. Has the PLAN figured out how to do it?.
Only because your comparison is using a different ship with an inferior radar and sensor layout.
Assuming theoretically, you managed to fit the full sensor suite of the 055 into a 052X hull, making in effect, a mini-055 with 64 cells, the cost to launch each missile would be higher.
The electronics suite on the 055 is more than just for the SAMs. Additional X-band AESA. Phase arrays for the datalinks. Massive ECM arrays. LPI surface radars. This is a ship that is more undetectable, more survivable, more able to integrate data from a networked environment.