Next Generation DDG and FFG thread (after 055, 052D, 054B)
- Thread starter ACuriousPLAFan
- Start date
Highly unlikely as drinking at sea isn't exactly a PLAN tradition.
Moreover, the PLA aggressively cracked down on officers drinking at official functions or otherwise in uniform after General Secretary Xi came to power.
So hard to imagine the PLAN going out of their way to avail booze to sailors on deployments.
No. Aircraft carriers do not need such huge number of gas turbine engines, considering more powerful domestic gas turbine engines are becoming available in the coming years.
As for the power requirements - There are the radars and sensor systems, C2 systems, EMCAT + EMAGS, among others. All of these are major power loads for a fully-fledged operation carrier as well, not just propulsion.
The Nimitz CVNs generate ~64 MW of electricity for their shipboard hotel loads. The Ford CVNs are expected to generate at least twice that figure in order to deal with more powerful radar and sensor systems, EMALS and AAGS plus potential addition of power-hungry DEW CIWS in the future.
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And especially considering what just happened down south? Yeah, no thanks.
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EMCAT and EMAGS don't actually consume that much power. And if we're talking about DEW, wouldn't you want this proven out on a smaller cruiser-sized ship first?
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Note my assumption on diesel and gas turbines sizes being fixed.
And the same argument applies to the diesels. Why have 10 diesels when they could use a smaller number of larger diesels for the hotel load? And diesels run efficiently at any power level
They certainly do, especially when compared to steam catpults and non-EM arresting gear systems. That's among the reasons for the Ford CVNs to be equipped with much greater electrical power generation capabilities than their predecessors. Sure, their power requirements certainly aren't as much as propulsion - But they definitely are nowhere near being "sidekicks" of the electrical power distribution table either.
I certainly don't see how DEW CIWS should be prohibited from carriers if and when certain surface combatants have sufficient electrical generation capabilities to operate them.
Also, all the necessary tests and evaluations on the DEW CIWS would've already been completed on land and be approved for naval-based applications by the PLAN higher-ups before they can make their way onto warships that have been determined to be capable of operating them.
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Judging by recent antics in the SCS, it is not just allowed but compulsory and to excess.
If PLAN considers it a true CG than it'll be a class above the 055 but if it is still considered a "Large destroyer" than it would on paper be a 055 successor but anyhow it'll probably have a new designation considering both the hull and power systems are brand new.