056 class FFL/corvette

I am aware that there is information in thif forum regarding how many ships of each class China has at the moment.

My question is, is there an estimate of how many ships of each class China will have in 5 or 6 years. It seems to me at that time they will start to have a very, very powerful Navy, more experience with advanced radars, more experience with their Carrier(s). No doubt still not in a position to usurp the US, but making things very very difficult nonetheless. The trends must be deeply worrying for the US

Jeff Head said:

Longer to build, longer to fit out, and longer to commission.

Just the same, having all of those Type 52Cs coming out at once is very impressive...imagine if there were two shipyards working on them!

The PLAN is about to have more modern, area-wide anti-air defence destroyers than the UK or France, or Italy. The UK has six Type 45 Darings...and that's all they intend. The French have what, four Horizon class and Italy has the same?

Japan has six AEGIS DDGs.

Anyhow, when they get beyond six, up to eight, they will have the most modern area-wide air defense destoyers of any nation other than the US.

Of course, they have a long way to go to catch the US who has 22 AEGIS cruisers and over 60 AEGIS Burke DDGs.

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Wish it were so well, but France and Italy have only two Horizon each, D 620 FORBIN and D 621 CHEVAIER PAUL, D 553 ANDREA DORIA and D 554 CAIO DUILIO. It will be noted that while they conform to the current European fashion of being classified as frigates, they do in fact wear destroyer pennant numbers (as all French big frigates do).

Instead of the planned second French pair the last two of 11 AQUITAINE (FREMM) class frigates will be air defence frigates (FREDA) to replace the two CASSARD class about 2022.

The USN will not have 22 CG’s for long, as seven will be retired early. The first proposal, as noted before, was to decommission nine, CG 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, and 71 in 2013-14. Which two will be reprieved is not known to me.

franco-russe said:

Wish it were so well, but France and Italy have only two Horizon each, D 620 FORBIN and D 621 CHEVAIER PAUL, D 553 ANDREA DORIA and D 554 CAIO DUILIO. It will be noted that while they conform to the current European fashion of being classified as frigates, they do in fact wear destroyer pennant numbers (as all French big frigates do).

Instead of the planned second French pair the last two of 11 AQUITAINE (FREMM) class frigates will be air defence frigates (FREDA) to replace the two CASSARD class about 2022.

The USN will not have 22 CG’s for long, as seven will be retired early. The first proposal, as noted before, was to decommission nine, CG 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, and 71 in 2013-14. Which two will be reprieved is not known to me.

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Do you know what is the French plan to do with the two CASSARD class after 2022 will be replaced by the FREDA?

Well, the CASSARD was built in 1988 and the JEAN BART in 1991, so they will have served their 30 years or so. So from the perspective of the Marine Nationale, they will be scrapped. But it would not surprise me if they found their way to some South American navy, say Brazil.

franco-russe said:

Wish it were so well, but France and Italy have only two Horizon each, D 620 FORBIN and D 621 CHEVAIER PAUL, D 553 ANDREA DORIA and D 554 CAIO DUILIO. It will be noted that while they conform to the current European fashion of being classified as frigates, they do in fact wear destroyer pennant numbers (as all French big frigates do).

Instead of the planned second French pair the last two of 11 AQUITAINE (FREMM) class frigates will be air defence frigates (FREDA) to replace the two CASSARD class about 2022.

The USN will not have 22 CG’s for long, as seven will be retired early. The first proposal, as noted before, was to decommission nine, CG 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, and 71 in 2013-14. Which two will be reprieved is not known to me.

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you ARE kiddin me, USN is going to retire more Ticonderoga class cruisers? they already retired 5 with CG-51 retiring only after 18 years of service, was this project even worth it, now they are retiring 9 more, why such short service life? just unbelievable, how much does each ship probably in the billions i guess

asif iqbal said:

you ARE kiddin me, USN is going to retire more Ticonderoga class cruisers? they already retired 5 with CG-51 retiring only after 18 years of service, was this project even worth it, now they are retiring 9 more, why such short service life? just unbelievable, how much does each ship probably in the billions i guess

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Actually, the first five disposed of were the older, initial cruisers that had the twin launchers with no VLS and it was deemed too expensive to refit them. Each had at least 18 years service at the time, with a couple having 20 years.

These next nine will range in service from 26 years to 29 years in 2014. That will leave 15 Tico AEGIS cruisers, and the US will then have 62 AEGIS destroyers with eight more on the way, 3 on the way (the first to be launched in 2013), and a plan, starting in 2016 to build up to ten Flight III Burkes, perhpas along the lines of an imporved KDX-III design which are really, IMHO, cruisers themselves.

So, at low tide the US will still have over 77 AEGIS vessels.

franco-russe said:

Wish it were so well, but France and Italy have only two Horizon each. Instead of the planned second French pair the last two of 11 AQUITAINE (FREMM) class frigates will be air defence frigates (FREDA) to replace the two CASSARD class about 2022.

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Correct, I had forgotten that they had cancelled the other two in each country in favor of the FREMMs. Thanks. But the air defense frigates will be, in essence a little smaller version of the Horizon with 32 Aster missiles instead of 48 and they will suffice.

franco-russe said:

The USN will not have 22 CG’s for long, as seven will be retired early in 2013-14.

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See the above reply to asif. The US will have less, for sure for a few years, but the lowest number they will reach will be 77 AEGIS vessels, and will build back up to approaching 90 under current plans.

franco-russe said:

Well, the CASSARD was built in 1988 and the JEAN BART in 1991, so they will have served their 30 years or so. So from the perspective of the Marine Nationale, they will be scrapped. But it would not surprise me if they found their way to some South American navy, say Brazil.

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By that time Brazil might well be past the phase in which it buys second hand war ships.

Back to topic, looking at the 056 construction picture it appears to be a lot smaller than it should be, I understand that it's in an earlier stage of construction but it shouldn't be THAT small.

Here is a picture comparing the two Thai OPVs again 054, 054 is moored farther back and we can tell it's larger than the OPVs, but not out of proportionally larger like what we see at Huangpu. Note the OPV has a 1440t full displacement, so my guess is that 056 in actuality is smaller than people have anticipated, probably around 900t standard and 1200t full, or even smaller.

that's the one really surprising part -> how small it really is. If that really is 056 as we think it is, I guess that really points it to just replacing 037. And that also makes sense it has not hangar. For something that small, having a AK-76M, HQ-10 and 4 YJ-83 with helipad about the right armament.

I think the type 054A looks much larger side by side because of deeper draft.