PLAN ASW Capability

Henri K blog on the PLAN new way of detecting submarine
The Chinese television channel CCTV-7 has broadcast a few interesting videos over the last few days, during its daily televised report on the subjects of the Defense, revealing new ways of fighting anti-submarine (ASW) of the Chinese navy .

The first was published on Wednesday, November 16, in which it is learned that a research and testing base of the Chinese Navy conducted an underwater combat drill, bringing together several operational units of the Northern Fleet.

The objective of the exercise is to evaluate the new tactics and new ASW means that have been implemented recently by the Chinese Navy.

To recreate an environment closer to reality, acoustic targets and noise mimics were used, an underwater monitoring and communication network was also installed. The combat simulations were then chained between the maritime patrol aircraft and the submarines, diesel and nuclear.

Here are some platforms and armaments that can be identified in this exercise, at least those that are shown in the report:

Ship submarine test bench Type 909A
Ship submarine test bench Type 909A

Mine Hunter Type 082A
Mine Hunter Type 082A


Towed Linear Antenna
Towed Linear Antenna

Acoustic sensor (?)
Acoustic sensor (?)


New standardized combat post (left)
New standardized combat post (left)

New light torpedo Yu-11 (?)
New light torpedo Yu-11 (?)


ASW KQ-200 patrol aircraft
ASW KQ-200 patrol aircraft

Type 09III Nuclear Attack Submarine
Type 09III Nuclear Attack Submarine


Diesel Submarine Type 039B
Diesel Submarine Type 039B

Diesel Submarine Type 039B (Last Batch)
Diesel Submarine Type 039B (Last Batch)


The most interesting point is neither the first public appearance of the Anti Submairne Aircraft Y8Q/ KQ-200 nor the participation of the new submarines like the SNA Type 09III or the SSK Type 039B of last batch but the simultaneous presence of the two ships bench Type 909A submarine tests.

893 Zhan Tianyou and 894 Li Siguang are two ships that move 6,080 tons full load and are dedicated to testing new submarine armaments. The Chinese Navy admitted to service first in 2012, then the second two years later.

(Cont)

The fact that these two buildings are found in the same place and in the same exercise is very unusual and is probably a sign of a new campaign to validate several equipment and weapons designed for submarine warfare.

And the commentary on the report also indicates that "some new armaments" and "the new anti-torpedo tactics" have been "checked".

Is it new listening devices such as sonars and acoustic networks, or new armaments such as the Yu-10 heavy-duty fiber torpedo or the new Yu-11 light torpedo? For the moment the suspense remains entire.

The 893 Zhan Tianyou of Type 909A
The 893 Zhan Tianyou of Type 909A


The 894 Li Siguang of Type 909A
The 894 Li Siguang of Type 909A


As for the PATMAR KQ-200, although this is the first time this airplane switches to television, but in reality its admission to active service goes up, at least, to 2015. Derived from a transport platform Y-8 Category III , The aircraft is very easily recognizable thanks to its long magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) at the tail and a large radome under the front tip that houses a surface search radar.
The Y-8Q / KQ-200 from the Chinese Navy

The Y-8Q / KQ-200 from the Chinese Navy

This new Chinese Y8Q/KQ200 can be armed up to 4 YJ-83KH anti-ship missiles under the sail or 8 light Yu-11K torpedoes in its internal bunker. It also has 4 openings behind its armaments hold for dropping sonar buoys.

With an autonomy of 10 hours in flight or 5 000 kilometers in passing distance, the KQ-200 will rapidly become an important ASW aerial medium of the Chinese navy in the image of the American P-3C, To a rapidly renewing fleet of Japanese diesel submarines, or to the South in the South China Sea, which is an ideal ground for submarines.

Currently, 4 copies of this Chinese Anti Submaine aircraft have entered service and mass production is already launched by the aircraft manufacturer Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the AVIC Group.

After this first interesting CCTV-7 report, which still leaves some points to be clarified, another one appeared three days later, but the subject had basically nothing to do with the Chinese navy.

In this video, which presents a test base of terrestrial weapons, such as guns, rockets and guided munitions of the Chinese Army, a scene suddenly appears towards the end and shows the firing of a "missile" Unknown up here, from an inclined launching ramp.

This passage is extracted then slowed down 4 times, but you can access the entire video in the appendix:

This is the ship specially built to test the new anti submarine warfare equipment, procedure and personnel

I would like to see the PLAN develop something like the SURTASS LFA that the USN routinely likes to tow around the SCS to look for Chinese subs.

Hendrik_2000 said:

(Cont)....

... Y-8Q / KQ-200 from the Chinese Navy
...

Click to expand...

Since when is the Y-8G (GX-6) known as KQ-200 ??? ... and what does the K & Q means ?

Deino said:

Since when is the Y-8G (GX-6) known as KQ-200 ??? ... and what does the K & Q means ?

Click to expand...

just my guess (never heard of KQ-200 before either):
K = Kōng (空, aero, airborne...)
Q = Qián (潛, diving, used as the first character of submarine...)
KQ = A2S

Vietnam just recently inducted the last of project 636 submarine order. Now she has 6 submarine.
This represent a grave threat to Chinese ship . The PLAN is now hard at work to eliminate this danger with simulated training unscripted, one on one confrontation between Type 039 "Yuan" vs Type 636 "Kilo"
This report and the previous report show that PLAN start to take seriously the ASW warfare
From Henri K blog


Here is the write up

The report reveals initially that the exercises between the Chinese submarines are carried out under certain "constraints" until now. For example, to prevent submarines colliding underwater because of their weak acoustic signals, they are physically separated by positioning themselves in the various "layers" of depth. Since they are never in the same depth, no risk they enter into each other, but this security measure is also unrepresentative of reality.

This recent exercise between Project 636M and Type 039 was therefore the first to remove this virtual barrier. The two Chinese submarines, all belong to the 32nd submarine flotilla, clashed freely and autonomously in a mode they call back-to-back combat.
Project 636M and Type 039 of the South China Fleet

Project 636M and Type 039 of the South China Fleet

According to the report, the "fight" began with a deep dive of the Type 039, which was able to quickly locate the Russian-born submarine and thus launched the first wave of attack with the torpedoes. The latter dodged them by making a quick steering.

This first tower seems to show that the Chinese submariners master the acoustic signals of Project 636M, which is also sold in Vietnam for example, and that the Chinese sonars were able to identify it quickly. The torpedo used by the Type 039 should be of the Yu-5 model, with a range of 30 kilometers. The Type 039 attack should then take place as soon as Project 636M is within range of torpedoes.

Few details were given on the rest of the year. It is only known that the Type 039 was the first to run out of electricity, the fact that this old model is not equipped with anaerobic propulsion, contrary to the following models (Type 039A, B and C) Less compared to Project 636M. He therefore tried to cover himself with the aid of the passing trawlers to rise to the surface and to recharge his batteries. But his opponent, submarine 373 which is part of one of the 8 Project 636M submarines imported from Russia and admitted to active service since August 2005, was able to unmask these maneuvers and took the opportunity to attack in turn.

Unfortunately, the end of story is unknown, but it is known that the anti-submarine forces of the Southern fleet also participated in the exercise and attempted to locate and then attack the two submarines, adding Thus an additional level of difficulty to the crew on both sides.

Inside Project 636M
Inside Project 636M

2016-11-30-when-a-project-636m-confront-a-type-039-04


Inside the Type 039
Inside the Type 039

2016-11-30-when-a-project-636m-confront-a-type-039-06


It will be noted that it is very rare to have this kind of institutional publication on the Chinese submarine forces, but the few elements unveiled this time tell us that the Chinese navy is in a new dynamic to strengthen its ASW warfare under the sea.

And this effort is part of the same logic of the rise in the anti-submarine effort, a subject that we quickly addressed in the article"the Chinese navy multiplies the means anti-submarine" from a week ago.

It should be noted that, the fleet of the South seems to have deployed its two best elements for this "unpublished" exercise. Indeed, submarine 373 has already played the role of OPFOR (Opposing Force) in the joint Sino-Russian exercise in September this year. As for submarine 326 of Type 039, it was elected the best crew for 4 consecutive years, from 2006 to 2010, and still holds 8 training records in the Chinese navy.

This exercise should therefore serve as the "pioneer" to assess the feasibility and refine the operating mode so that this new mode of training can be generalized in the months or years to come.

The case to follow.

Henri K.

continuing on the update of serious effort now undertaken to strengthen the PLAN ASW, they are working on the new missile torpedo. Together with the new PATMAR(Patrol Maritime) aircraft KQ200 and Type 56A corvette and new improve sonar buoy network, I expect that in the future(5yrs) china ASW will improve considerably
Training is not forgotten the new 893, 894 Anti submarine training vessel Li Siguang,ZhanTianyou will train a professional cadre of subhunter

And the commentary on the report also indicates that "some new armaments" and "the new anti-torpedo tactics" have been "checked".

Is the new listening means such as sonar and acoustic systems, or new weapons like heavy torpedo fiber optic Yu-10 or the new lightweight torpedo Yu-11 ? For the moment the suspense remains entire.


The 893 Zhan Tianyou of Type 909A


The 894 Li Siguang of Type 909A

As for PATMAR KQ-200, although this is the first time that this aircraft is on television, but in reality his admission to active duty dates back at least to 2015. Derived from a transport platform Y-8 Category III , The aircraft is very easily recognizable thanks to its long magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) at the tail and a large radome under the front tip that houses a surface search radar.


The Y-8Q / KQ-200 from the Chinese Navy

This new Chinese PATMAR up to 4 can be armed anti-ship missiles YJ-83KH under the wing or 8 lightweight torpedoes Yu-11K in its internal bay. It also has 4 openings behind its armaments hold for dropping sonar buoys.

With a battery life of 10 hours in flight or 5000 kilometers maximum range, KQ-200 will quickly become an important air ASW means the Chinese navy in the image of the P-3C US, whether to the east side To a rapidly renewing fleet of Japanese diesel submarines, or to the South in the South China Sea, which is an ideal ground for submarines.

Currently, 4 copies of this Chinese PATMAR have entered service and mass production is already launched by the aircraft manufacturer Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the AVIC Group.

After this first interesting CCTV-7 report, which still leaves some points to be clarified, another one appeared three days later, but the subject had basically nothing to do with the Chinese navy.

In this video, which presents a test base of terrestrial weapons, such as guns, rockets and guided munitions of the Chinese Army, a scene suddenly appears towards the end and shows the firing of a "missile" Unknown up here, from an inclined launching ramp.

This passage is extracted then slowed down 4 times, but you can access the entire video in the appendix:





This dual launch pad is not that of a terrestrial arms known but is closer to the ramp model ST-16M , which is used to launch anti-ship missiles YJ-83J on all Corvettes Type 056.

The "missile" seems to be composed of 3 main parts and it is of 2 different diameters. We can see there a small removable booster with solid propellant, 4 stabilizing fins, an air intake under the cell that suggests the presence of a turbofan engine or turbojet, a foldable wing and finally, a finer part located at l 'before.


ST-16M launch ramps on a Type 056 corvette


The new "missile"

All these preliminary evidence suggests we could here a new type of ASROC (Anti Submarine Rocket) long reach of the Chinese navy, which is newer and above all, very different from the ASROC Yu-8 vertically launched weapons that aujourd 'hui the big twenty frigate Type 054A .

The Yu-8 is an ASROC with a range of about 50 kilometers, its "combat head" is an anti-submarine torpedo of active / passive mixed guidance. It is believed to have entered service in 2012, 4 years after the first Type 054A frigate was admitted to active service.


Vertical Launch of a Yu-8

The Type 054A frigate is an "economic" high seas platform of the Chinese Navy. Built in large series with at least 26 copies and has by default a full ASW suite and detection means of attack - as a fighting system and communication dedicated submarine, the hull sonar Type 307 , sonar towed linear antenna type 206 , anti-submarine rocket launchers WHH003A , acoustic towed decoys, torpedo launchers Yu-7 and its variants with a range of 15 kilometers, the ASROC Yu-8 and ASW helicopters Ka-28 and Z-9C - the Type 054A is the most oriented ship and the most capable in the anti-submarine warfare in the Chinese navy.

However, the rise of China and the increase in overseas intervention zones, which require the presence of larger ships, force the Chinese navy to deploy these frigates more often away from the Chinese coast.

To prevent this from creating a capacity vacuum that could benefit others, and especially it is not at all "economical" to do the anti-submarine patrol near the coast with these frigates of 4,000 tons, a variant ASW, the Type 056A was designed from the beginning of the corvette program Type 056.

There are now 17 Type 056A corvettes of which 8 are already active duty, but the final number may still change in the years to come.

(cont 2)
This is the new addition to the already posted article. New missile torpedo(ASROC) new sonar buoy, new training ship, new frigate, new maritime patrol aircraft. Maybe even new sum detector Yep it all add up

A ASW Type 056A corvette under construction, with stern opening for towed sonar

Despite a lower displacement of about 1,300 tons, the Type 056A is suitably equipped with medium ASWs with a specific combat system, a hull sonar, a towed sonar, two anti-submarine rocket launchers, and two triple throwers Of torpedo of 324 mm.

However, it can be seen that this ASW corvette, although it seems well equipped for acoustic detection, lacks long range offensive weapons against submarines, and the vertical launch Yu-8 is not No longer adapted to the ship's architecture.

The need to develop a new weapon, capable of being drawn from the same inclined ramps of the anti-ship missiles of the corvette and especially with an increased range, is therefore quite justifiable and justified.


A synthetic image drawn by a Chinese amateur (Source: 机 机 机)

And the foldable wing, as well as the air entry under the cell, which is seen on the new "missile" in question seem to confirm this hypothesis on the range. Because it is a simple ASROC with a range of about fifty kilometers, it is not necessary to have a wing that increases the lift and a turbofan or turbojet engine that extends the duration of The propulsion. A conventional missile body with a rocket engine, such as the Yu-8, would be ample.

Other factors may be supporting this - indeed, two academic papers published in 2011 by NWPU University and the 710 Institute of the Chinese shipbuilding group CSIC show that the Chinese were interested in a torpedo system " Planet ", which is capable of reaching a range of 73 kilometers. The system is also propelled first by a solid propellant booster in its first phase of flight, as the "missile" in the video.


Extract from a research paper published in 2011

Regardless of whether or not the system studied in the documents corresponds to the "missile" we are seeing, we can be sure that the weapon is at least in the testing phase and, if development is successful, it will The growing array of the Chinese Navy in ASW armaments.

And sometimes the maritime equipment is not necessarily designed by the actors of the naval sector, but by the aeronautical engineering offices, as strange as it may seem.

November 18, 2016, (613 Institute), a subsidiary of the Chinese group AVIC aeronautics and specialized in optronics, we learn that one of their teams conducted the third test of the year on new Buoys that this design office is developing.

The test took place from 9 to 12 November in a lake whose name was not revealed. The team assessed performance in location capability, angular location accuracy and distance measurement for 3 types of sonar buoys - omnidirectional passive sonar buoy, directional passive sonar buoy and networked buoy, and buoy Sonar active omnidirectional.

The results are, according to the text, satisfactory and will make it possible to launch the continuation of the tests at sea which will take place "soon".

The only missing piece is ASW Heli. Now if they can get decent ASW helicopter it will finally close the gap. Amazing descrption of the new YU 10 ASROC courtesy of Xinhui. Apparently the YU 10 will fit the canister in type 56. With this system the heli doesn't have to carry the torpedo all it does is cue in . Now the hunter will soon become the hunted. The Russian pioneer this system but dropped it maybe the updated version with new rocket and guidance system will make it work