PLAN Sovremenny DDG 136, 137, 138 & 139 Thread

[blindsight]

Strangely enough the one on the 055 only has 23 cells (counted it from a picture).

View attachment 76837

I saw the image now, strange...

 

[Tam]

What was the rationale for deleting the aft turret in the 2nd pair?

Definitely for a larger helicopter deck. If they refit this, by removing the launcher they can still afford to stretch the helicopter deck even more and still leave a 16 cell VLS on the bottom. Some wasted space at the rear.

PLAN wanted a larger flight deck with a fixed hangar, so the aft AK-130 had to be removed.

It only looks like a partial fixed hanger, the hanger doesn't go long enough. Oddly it feels like its more for the sake of installing the Pozitiv radar on the top of the hanger than it is for sheltering the helicopter. The Admiral Grigorovich has the same layout.

 

[antiterror13]

The pattern is obvious now. The 8-cell version is used on 056/056A corvettes and the refitted 053H3 frigates. All smaller surface combatants. The 18-cell version is used on CVs and LHDs. The 24-cell version is used on 052D/055 destroyers and also on the refitted 136/137. The refitted 054/052B may get this version too. All larger surface combatants.

Do you think there would be 8-cell or 18 cell on 054A ? would nice, honestly

 

[blindsight]

Do you think there would be 8-cell or 18 cell on 054A ? would nice, honestly

Not very likely...

 

[Tam]

Perhaps, high certainty of probability, you can see HQ-10 on the 054B instead.

 

[sndef888]

I wonder if it's a cost saving measure or a problem with the layout. Surely deleting one 1130 and adding HQ-10 is more cost effective

Even 8 cells of HQ-10 would be pretty significant considering 054As probably have only 24-32 HQ-16s

 

[Tam]

I wonder if it's a cost saving measure or a problem with the layout. Surely deleting one 1130 and adding HQ-10 is more cost effective

Even 8 cells of HQ-10 would be pretty significant considering 054As probably have only 24-32 HQ-16s

How are you going to do that? The two 1130 are set amidships. If you remove one and placed an HQ-10 that would look asymmetric and unbalanced. The HQ-10 would be unable to access the other side. If you need to have an HQ-10 you have to put it somewhere in the center of the ship's axis with access to both sides of the ship. That's either in the front or in the back.

The alternative would be to remove both 1130 and replace them with HQ-10 launchers on each side amidships. Its not that crazy as you think; German corvettes and frigates are only armed with RAM for close quarters defense.

 

[DexterM]

I saw the image now, strange...

The 24th cell is being hidden by the object above the banner.

 

[snake65]

138 has started modernization?

 

[Tam]

So far they have not stripped anything, but it is moored in the same area where we have seen other ships get upgrades and maintenance done. I can't be certain as of now, we need more followup observation, and I didn't expect the ships to be upgraded yet and only a few years from now. But if they decided to move the MLU time table ahead, that would be an exciting finding.