Type 022 Missile Boat
- Thread starter DPRKPTboat
- Start date
Nope. And that's the biggest flaw of this boat. It cannot download targeting data from satellites with regards to targets deep over the horizon. Also lacks the Type 366-2 datalink, aka Mineral datalink aka Lightbulb, which can be used to download targeting data from aircraft for targets over the horizon.
These are flaws that the 056 happen to exactly address.
The 022 would have to datalink with another PLAN warship within line of sight and radio horizon, with that warship acting as a hub for the 022 pack. That warship can either be a 054A or a 056. The datalink appears like a pole with a cylinder on top on the back of the 022 and you can see similar dipoles on the mast of other ships.
I mentioned this before the Type 022 uses the Type 362 radar aka MR36 that uses atmospheric ducting for radar targeting over the horizon, a technique used with the Type 366 and Mineral ME radars and targeting systems used on larger ships. For this to work, one boat would have to be actively searching and targeting, the coordinates datalinked to the other boats. For this to work, you also need the right atmospheric conditions, which so happens the East and South China Seas are known to provide. However, it seems that relying on this along isn't satisfactory for the PLAN, hence the 056 with its SATCOM and 366-2 datalink, which are the pair of domes behind the antiship missiles.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
While that may sound like a major issue on paper, it really isn’t in practice.
While the 022 does have a CIWS, and has LO shaping, a Wolfpack of them operating alone unsupported far from friendly warships would still be incredibly vulnerable to enemy air attack. Especially helicopters with hellfires and similar small missiles.
What many western pundits never got, and continue to not get about the 022 is that they were always meant to operating as part of a broader PLAN fleet, rather than as some sort of independent Wolfpack.
The thinking behind this is rather simple. If it got to the point where all the PLAN had left/could deploy were 022s, well it’s game over already and sending 022s out along and unsupported would be little different to suicide for the crews.
While the 022 does have a CIWS, and has LO shaping, a Wolfpack of them operating alone unsupported far from friendly warships would still be incredibly vulnerable to enemy air attack. Especially helicopters with hellfires and similar small missiles.
What many western pundits never got, and continue to not get about the 022 is that they were always meant to operating as part of a broader PLAN fleet, rather than as some sort of independent Wolfpack.
The thinking behind this is rather simple. If it got to the point where all the PLAN had left/could deploy were 022s, well it’s game over already and sending 022s out along and unsupported would be little different to suicide for the crews.
Sadly, not much has changed then since we last discussed this boat.
Do we know when these are due to start going out of service?
Also just out of curiosity, how long and how wide is the missile canisters? I saw BAE are offering VLS canisters launched from a similar angle to that the Type 022 uses, so is there a possibility it could fit any of the 3 variants of the U-VLS?
There are so many updates or modifications you could do to make this type very interesting. I find it such a shame they are not doing anything while unswervingly updating everything else to be able to cooperate in networks.
If they are obsolete or irrelevant then divest them, which would result in the PLAN no longer being the worlds biggest, which is nice.
Do we know when these are due to start going out of service?
Also just out of curiosity, how long and how wide is the missile canisters? I saw BAE are offering VLS canisters launched from a similar angle to that the Type 022 uses, so is there a possibility it could fit any of the 3 variants of the U-VLS?
There are so many updates or modifications you could do to make this type very interesting. I find it such a shame they are not doing anything while unswervingly updating everything else to be able to cooperate in networks.
If they are obsolete or irrelevant then divest them, which would result in the PLAN no longer being the worlds biggest, which is nice.
I won't call it VLS canisters if they are launched from a slant angle. The V in VLS stands for vertical. The canisters are the same canisters we see for the YJ-83.
We began to see more activity, as if the 022 has been revived in importance, in recent years after the 022 was nearly mothballed. This might have to do with the USN pressure on the South China Seas. The boats may still be able to reach these areas, assist in patrols, provide presence with counterpressure and suddenly these boats have become relevant again. Improvements with the YJ-83 also nicely coincides, given each boat has as much antiship killing power as a single Type 54A. Whatever the flaws of the boats, these are nicely compensated by working with other ships that act as command hubs and air defense.
You need to find them first. LO shaping, low silhouette, plus sea clutter that heavily degrades radar is a very potent combination. You are best spotting them by optical and thermal, which can put you in range of their CIWS or umbrella air cover.
Lack of sonar, or space to put then, along with their supporting equipment, suggest otherwise.
I wonder if PLAN will ever succeed 022 and 056. Most PLA watchers argue against the procurement of ships smaller than frigates but I think there is a possibility of a future ASW corvette like the 056. Unlike the USA, France and the UK, China has enemy forces close to its shores. If they ever materialize I'd expect them to be displacing around 2000-2500 tons rather than 1400 tons like the current corvettes