lcloo
Captain
I deleted the engine part in my edit before I see your reply. I realised that large opening is neede to cut to get the engine out, as you stated that's no small surgery.
PLAN Sovremenny DDG 136, 137, 138 & 139 Thread
- Thread starter FarkTypeSoldier
- Start date
I deleted the engine part in my edit before I see your reply. I realised that large opening is neede to cut to get the engine out, as you stated that's no small surgery.
This is getting very interesting.
Looks like the single arm launcher (and its entire magazine) are probably gone./ Are they going to put a VLS there? Maybe sixteen or even twenty four cells? And another aft?
Seems like the PLAN may be doing some serious refurbishing to get to a standard VLS capability...they are doing that with the Type 051B too.
This is going to be fun to watch.
A Sov with 32 or 48 VLS and probably with new CIWS as well. Super Sov!
Blackstone
Brigadier
Will the Sino-Sovs retain their roles as primary fleet ship killers, or is PLAN changing their Sovs from anti-ship to multi-role? If so, what benefits are given up for the additional capabilities, if any?
We will have to wait and see whether they change out the SSMs to see if there is any substantial change to their anti-surface capability.
.The Sovs were always multi-role, with decent air for their time and decent ASW capabilities, particularly with the helo, but with an emphasis on ASuW with those dangerous missiles.
I think they are modernizing them, particularly in terms of the AAW capabilities, in order to further extend their service life..
FarkTypeSoldier
Junior Member
Indeed this is every exciting! I hope there is no change to those Sunburn missiles. Or do they plan to install some newer supersonic missile like YJ-12?
In this way, there would be enhanced air-defense capability plus deadly punches...
MwRYum
Major
It'd make no sense to put VLS wells in that confines because that'd leave a wastage of real estate, which would be able to fit 2 more roles of VLS silos if the elevated structure was scrapped entirely; and there's the Moskit question to answer - since the PLAN don't field the Moskit missiles on any other vessels and their AShM take the sub-sonic development path, would they be so bold that they'd replace the Moskit with other home-grown options?
In any case, it'd demand major overhaul of the superstructure above deck to bring the design up-to-date with current standards, and in a scale more radical than the DDG-167 experienced - right now, there's nothing beyond removing the weapon module for overhaul to be seen.
Would such work be worth the effort? That's the million-dollar question here...those are 10-15+ year hulls, but have bigger displacement then the domestic models, only to be topped (estimated) by the 055 class DDG, so if the PLAN wants to have hulls that can be modified to pack more firepower then what currently available, and to be available within a short order, this might be one option to explore.
joshuatree
Captain
What is the typical shelf life of an AShM? What is the typical shelf life of Russian AShMs? If the Sunburns are nearing shelf life, then the crossroad would be does PLAN procure more Sunburns? Do they feel their AShMs are equal or even better than the Sunburns? And how feasible is it to modify the Sov to field domestic AShMs? Instead of a quad of cylindrical tubes, we see a quad box on each side of the Sovs?
plawolf
Lieutenant General
The YJ12 would be the perfect upgrade AShMs for the PLAN Sovs.
8 YJ12s, plus however many VLS they could pack in would bring the Sovs right up to date, and make them one of the most powerful surface ship types around, especially in the ASuW department.
Engineer
Major
My feeling is that the propulsion system will get replaced as well. It makes PLAN steam and is the reason why these ships haven't been on oversea deployment.