Blackstone
Brigadier
Question for old time mariners like Popeye; is the 056 a true "ship?" Shouldn't it be called a "boat?" I mean at only ~1500 tons, it could be carried by other ships, right?
056 class FFL/corvette
- Thread starter dingyibvs
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Much smaller vessels are considered to be ships.
steve_rolfe
Junior Member
Very loosely speaking 'a ship is a vessel that can carry a boat', but 'a boat is a vessel that cannot carry a ship'.
The definition between a ship and a boat, is quite a topic in itself though.
The definition between a ship and a boat, is quite a topic in itself though.
I would call a 056 a ship.
I would call a Mk VI patrol craft a boat.
I would call a US Coast Guard Sentinel Class cutter a ship...but it is very close to the edge.
Even though of a similar displacement to the Sentinel, I would also call a US Navy Cyclone Patrol Craft a ship.
But a PLAN Type 22 Fast Attack Missile craft is definitely, a boat:
I would call a Mk VI patrol craft a boat.
I would call a US Coast Guard Sentinel Class cutter a ship...but it is very close to the edge.
Even though of a similar displacement to the Sentinel, I would also call a US Navy Cyclone Patrol Craft a ship.
But a PLAN Type 22 Fast Attack Missile craft is definitely, a boat:
While the 056 is oriented towards defensive operations it should be able to stand its ground and buy time for reinforcements to arrive rather than essentially bank on a covered retreat when approached by stronger threats.
To this end I think the existing 056 should have been a base peacetime patrol design allowing for easy modification into two wartime versions:
Combat version - doubles SAM (8x to 16x) and SSM (4x to 8x) complement
Surveillance version - carries armed UAV and USV/UUV
Assuming the engine generates sufficient power and the ship's weight remains evenly distributed this would have only required a slightly larger or elongated hull.
joshuatree
Captain
I think the current 056 can stand its ground against most Southeast Asian naval vessels. Just how many rounds in modern warfare should we reasonably expect two engaging vessels to trade if there were to be a clash?
If you're thinking of pitting the 056 against East Asian naval vessels, I think lone encounters like that would be rare given the closer proximity of land based assets as well as other naval assets.
In a wartime situation, the Type-56 is not going to be alone.
We'd be looking at Type-54 frigates, Type-52 air defence destroyers, plus airborne fighter/AWACS/ISR/MPA in attendance.
To me, a Type-56 looks like a cheap but good enough platform to mount:
1. a modest ASW suite (eg. the current VDS)
2. a modest ASM suite (eg. the current ASMs)
3. airborne drones (in the future)
4. underwater drones (in the future)
These all should be pretty cheap capabilities to add, given the advancements in technology that we can see.
And given the modest armament for a 1500ton ship, it looks like it has plenty of expansion space.
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ASW operations
The Type-56 acts as a sensor node as it really doesn't want to get that close to a submarine.
If the VDS/UUV detects a possible submarine signature, then call for airborne support. Either an ASW helicopter or a fixed wing MPA.
AAW operations
You need a large, expensive and heavy radar set for this. That's not the Type-56.
ASuW operations
With small cheap UAVs, it should be able to surveil a decent radius around the ship.
But larger long-endurance fixed wing ISR aircraft (with better sensors) operating from the mainland would be a better option anyway.
We'd be looking at Type-54 frigates, Type-52 air defence destroyers, plus airborne fighter/AWACS/ISR/MPA in attendance.
To me, a Type-56 looks like a cheap but good enough platform to mount:
1. a modest ASW suite (eg. the current VDS)
2. a modest ASM suite (eg. the current ASMs)
3. airborne drones (in the future)
4. underwater drones (in the future)
These all should be pretty cheap capabilities to add, given the advancements in technology that we can see.
And given the modest armament for a 1500ton ship, it looks like it has plenty of expansion space.
===
ASW operations
The Type-56 acts as a sensor node as it really doesn't want to get that close to a submarine.
If the VDS/UUV detects a possible submarine signature, then call for airborne support. Either an ASW helicopter or a fixed wing MPA.
AAW operations
You need a large, expensive and heavy radar set for this. That's not the Type-56.
ASuW operations
With small cheap UAVs, it should be able to surveil a decent radius around the ship.
But larger long-endurance fixed wing ISR aircraft (with better sensors) operating from the mainland would be a better option anyway.
Submarine contacts can be fleeting. I think a 056 on ASW duty would have a helo already (temporarily) embarked to attack a contact on the spot. I mean unless we are talking about ASW operations only a few dozen km from shore. Even then a helicopter flying at 240km/hr would take 10min to fly out to 40km, and this is assuming there are helicopter bases dotted all along the coastline, which there aren't. More likely an ASW helo would be home-based some few hundred km from where the 056 is actually towing a line at the moment, and would have been temporarily assigned to the active-duty 056, sitting on the helo pad, fueled, armed, or already patrolling in the air, and ready to immediately prosecute a sonar contact as needed.
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