True, but why do I also have the feeling that in case something big hits the fan back home during the 14th anti-piracy mission, China doesn't want any of its top tier ships isolated and out on its own.
PLAN Anti-Piracy Deployments
- Thread starter UCSDAE
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True, but why do I also have the feeling that in case something big hits the fan back home during the 14th anti-piracy mission, China doesn't want any of its top tier ships isolated and out on its own.
joshuatree
Captain
I think it's less fear of having a pair of front line ships isolated and on its own but more of keeping all front line ships readily available for the two current hot spots near home as the situation is fluid.
Besides, the anti-piracy mission has really settled into it's own tempo and norms. The mission can be easily satisfied with the second tier fleet and it makes good use of them. Threat level to the warships themselves is low. Giving these crews some mission time is beneficial to experience accrual for these crews as well as morale boosting. It's like the 4th quarter in a football game and your team has a huge lead. Put in the 2nd string for them to strut their stuff and have fun.
i'm a little uncomfortable with sending somethingl ike 528 to a mission like this, because it really hasn't gone on many trips away from home. I think its longest trip was to Australia. They say that some real issues were found with 054A when it first went to Gulf of Aden, which helped make the ship in the long run. So it is by no means a cake walk that 528 will complete a mission like this.
joshuatree
Captain
Vanuatu or New Zealand appears to be the farthest Mianyang has sailed to which is east of Australia, a decent distance on the open ocean. I think the risk level is calculated and acceptable. Mianyang is one of the newer 053H3, benefiting from any lessons learned from earlier builds, combined with already having 8 years of operational history itself to shake out any major issues.
I think this will be Harbin 112's first anti-piracy deployment? She's done some long distance sailing herself but I think this may be her first long distance sail after retrofit?
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Always though Type 052 and Type 053H3 would make a good, cost effective anti-piracy platform. I was hoping for something like this when the patrols first started, as the testing phases are over the new ships will stay closer to home while mundane missions will be performed by workhorse ship. I believe China Navy is trying to reduce cost and wear and tear when operating the newest ships. However, I believe the newer 052Cs and 052Ds will get a Aden mission just to iron out kinks due to changes in production and test new ship class.
MwRYum
Major
This whole expedition has a lot of "flag bearing" element as well as practical purposes, such as to validate design features on ships classes currently in production, training and procedures that requires real-world testing environment but previously lacks the chances to do so. Now the expeditions have validates those things they can afford to employ older - though blue-water worthy nonetheless - ships to conduct the "real world exposure training" for the personnel.
Has an 053H3 FFG been on a deployment this far away before?North Sea Fleet of China, 14th Somalia Anti-Piracy Task Force Departs
053H3, Jiangwei Class Frigate 528, Mianyang
It will be interesting to see how they do, though I expect they will do just fine.
The Harbin 112 could stand an FL-3000N missile system in upgrade though IMHO.