There's no reason they can't have more RF guidance channels.
The Pantsir systems have 4 RF channels for example
There's no reason they can't have more RF guidance channels.
The Pantsir systems have 4 RF channels for example
Pantsir is pantsir. Davide strales has one beam.
The Pantsir/76mm missiles are controlled by radio commands from the ship and don't have a seeker, so there's no beam involved like with semi-active seekers.
A Pantsir system has 4 RF control channels, but a Type-055 already has the capability to track and control 96+ SAMs in the air anyway.
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Pantsir also has a naval version, so you could take the Pantsir guidance system (EO and Radar tracking) and connect to 76mm/155mm rounds. Range is lacking though, because it's small.
Alternatively, the ship-mounted radars should also work for targeting, as long as they are accurate enough. They're cueing CIWS and HQ-10 already.
The X-Band ones definitely have the accuracy, but I'm not sure if S-Band is accurate enough at 20km.
I did mentioned the Mk 110 as well although one difference is that the Mk 110 is still developmental while STRALES is operational. My use of "novel" in this case was to indicate the divergence from gun based, wall of lead method of doing CIWS systems - not that the STRALES is unique to being a guided projo system.
Yes, at shorter range, air-burst pre-frag rounds like AHEAD can be superior but the pucker factor of that "shorter range" is very high. The whole idea behind using a 76mm guided submunition is that you can push the engagement distance much further and reduce the pucker factor - 20mm = 2km, 30mm = 3.5km, STRALES = 5km
Yes, the basic STRALES all-in-one mount is single-channel but so are almost all gun based CIWS system? Let's not try to get a last-ditch CIWS system meant to handle leakers to be an all-singing, all-dancing short range defence layer - It is, at the end of it all, a Phalanx/Goalkeeper CIWS analogue but with a different approach and longer range.
I haven't seen any concrete evidence on this but multi-target may probably be implementable given that the NA30S Mk2 is already touted as being an external-to-gun guidance system that can control and provide targeting for up to 3 STRALES gun mounts. Not sure how it works in a single gun, multi-target situation but ... as an aside - given the foot print of an OTO 76mm system, one can always go the direction of the Orizzonte class and put 3x OTO 76mm STRALES systems for 3 channels in total.
Back to topic -
The PLAN 155mm may well be able to perform gun-based anti-missile system using similar guided round method, in which case, the advantage may be to push the engagement envelop to >10km?
... or it may just simply be for increased terminal effect over the 130mm for any possible future shore bombardment needs.
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The trimaran semi-submersible vessel/submarine (or the 2nd unit of) seen on a floating launch platform at Huangpu-Wenchong, satellite imagery taken on February 6th. Length is ~63 meters, however the coverings/tarps obscured much of the details. Posted by @foolsball on Twitter.
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The empty bay is roughly 5m by 12m in size. As a comparison 055's front VLS module including the chamfer portion is around 10m by 13m for 64 VLS launchers, if they were to also put a UVLS module in that bay, you could realistically have up to ~32 VLS in this ship.
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Assuming this is actually the second vessel (IMO, it likely is given the hull looks like untreated steel, unlikely they'd strip the completed unit to this state for retrofits), could it point to this being closer to being operational and possibly mass produced than purely an experimental/demo vessel? AFAIK no other similar vessels have had exact follow ons, almost all are one off designs like the JARI USV etc.
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Fair point, but I don't know. From the one close-up image we have seen, it looks pretty rudimentary/demonstrator/experimental looking to me for now. Regardless of that, this platform (assuming it enters operational service) has a lot of potential to massively increase firepower and capability to PLAN's surface fleet and formations at a relatively low cost and quick manner. Should not take long to build these either; its smaller than even an 056A (at least length wise) so tonnage even at full load is maybe 2K+ tons?
If we say it has ~32 VLS as you estimated, pairing up 2x of these for 1 Type 055 would mean basically 176 VLS cells for a singular 055. Now pair that up with even just another (2x 055s, 4x semi-USVs), that's over 350+ cells alone. VLS cell count is not everything, but you get the point. My biggest questions about this are in regard to range and speed.
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lcloo
Major
IMO, an arsenal ship with huge number of missiles is like putting large number of eggs in a basket. If the basket is dropped, all the eggs would be smashed. If your arsenal ship carried, say 100 missiles, is sunk, then your offensive/defensive strength is reduced by 100 missiles. And the cost to the enemy is probably just one or two missiles. That is a huge loss. And you are on the losing end in a war of attrition.
On the other hand, having large number of smaller arsenal ships, each carry 32 or 64 missiles, you can have a more versatile tactic to suit different battle environment, disperse or concentrate your arsenal ships, strength your chances of winning. Imagine having large number of enlarged "type 022", each carry 16 to 32 long range missiles capable of hitting 500km to 1,000km away, and move safely more than 100km at the rear or the flank of a battle group.
This trimaran is much smaller than type 056, judging from the 2nd photo at post #95. It is not designed to carry large number of missiles, especially long range anti-ship or land attack missiles.
On the other hand, having large number of smaller arsenal ships, each carry 32 or 64 missiles, you can have a more versatile tactic to suit different battle environment, disperse or concentrate your arsenal ships, strength your chances of winning. Imagine having large number of enlarged "type 022", each carry 16 to 32 long range missiles capable of hitting 500km to 1,000km away, and move safely more than 100km at the rear or the flank of a battle group.
This trimaran is much smaller than type 056, judging from the 2nd photo at post #95. It is not designed to carry large number of missiles, especially long range anti-ship or land attack missiles.
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