Beijing is implementing the concept of a "new ship in an old hull" in practice
The first photos of the Wuhan destroyer (tactical number 169) of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA Navy) during the overhaul with deep modernization have been published on social networks. This provides another example of the practical implementation of the concept of "a new ship in an old hull", which is gaining popularity.
Radio-electronic equipment, as well as all missile and artillery weapons, have been completely removed from the destroyer. Presumably, before returning to service, Wuhan will stay at the shipyard for at least two or three more years.
The guided missile destroyer "Wuhan" belongs to type 052B and represents the second generation of ships of the far sea zone, independently designed and built by Chinese specialists. It was laid down in 2000 and accepted into the PLA Navy five years later. Type 052B destroyers with a total displacement of 6,500 tons were at that time the largest surface ships of Chinese construction. These ships laid the foundation for the creation of even heavier and more advanced EM URO project 052C, and later 052D. They continue to be built to this day.
TRANSITIONAL PROJECTS
In the Chinese military shipbuilding program, the Type 052B represents one of the early but important milestones.
On the basis of the destroyer of this project, the local shipbuilding industry has mastered the integration of Russian missile weapon systems into the hull of its own design.
At the time of construction, the capabilities of the UHF Wuhan were noticeably inferior to modern American and Japanese destroyers.
The disadvantages of the 052B project were attributed by Western experts to a weak, in their opinion, air defense system. While American destroyers received long-range AEGIS, Wuhan was content with the medium-range anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) of the Hurricane/Calm family (based on the Buk family Ground Forces SAM). Perhaps foreign experts made their conclusion without having full information about the real capabilities of this Russian system. As the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine shows, the Buk, especially in the execution of the M2 and M3, copes perfectly with complex targets, including the British Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Anyway, American experts have accepted for themselves that the "Calm" is distinguished by low fire performance, short range and a relatively low probability of hitting a "cruise missile" type target. Hence their conclusion: "Wuhan" is not able to effectively repel enemy missile attacks. Following the Soviet school of military shipbuilding, a significant emphasis in the 052B project was placed on shock weapons, which are represented by 16 subsonic anti-ship missiles (PKR) YJ-83.
In many ways, the concept of the project 052B destroyer was similar to the Soviet project 956E "Buzzard". A couple of such destroyers were acquired in Russia at the end of the last century. Both projects have similar radar, anti-aircraft missile and anti-submarine weapons and play the role, in fact, of a floating RCC battery.
In later projects of the EM URO (starting with Project 051C), relying again on Soviet-Russian technologies, the PLA Navy implemented the Western "concept of the so-called AEGIS destroyer, emphasizing the tasks of air and missile defense (air defense-missile defense) while maintaining the multipurpose profile of the surface ship as a whole.
Realizing the technological backwardness of the transitional projects of the 1990s and the noughties, the leadership of the People's Republic of China implemented them only in small series of one or two ships, iteratively (that is, repeatedly, with constant analysis of the results achieved at different stages) moving on to the creation of more advanced vessels.
For example, in addition to the Wuhan, another destroyer was built under the 052B project – the Guangzhou (tail number 168). According to Chinese observers, in the last four years, Guangzhou has also undergone a deep modernization, although official photo confirmations of this process have not yet been published.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Currently, the PLA Navy has almost fifty EM URO. Most of them were built over the last decade, meet modern standards of technical equipment, and the level of armament corresponds to the heavy ships of the far sea zone of the US Navy.
Moreover, unlike larger American ships of this class, Chinese destroyers are designed not so much for escorting aircraft carriers as for creating a layered air defense system along the entire perimeter of the densely populated and industrially developed coast of China. Taking into account the large-scale construction of destroyers of projects 052D and 055 by the end of this decade, the total number of ships of this class in the PLA Navy is likely to reach 70 units.
In parallel, the construction of ships of the frigate class of guided missile weapons (FR URO) is underway. To date, at least 30 modern FR-type 054A have been accepted into the PLA Navy. More than a dozen buildings are at different stages of construction.
DEEP MODERNIZATION
Against the background of the "great Chinese shipbuilding pipeline", the modernization of old ships usually does not attract much attention from foreign specialists. Nevertheless, almost all EM URO produced in the 1990s and later are not withdrawn from the fleet. Instead, they undergo a deep modernization and return to service. Moreover, this approach has been consistently implemented since the beginning of the new century.
1. Project 052 destroyers built in the late 1980s - mid–1990s were upgraded in 2003 and 2004 and then again in 2010. In the process of rearmament, the ships received new radar stations (radars), electronic jamming systems (RAP), a new sonar station (GAS), anti-submarine weapons and anti-aircraft guns of increased rate of fire with rotating barrel blocks.
2. The project 051B destroyer built in the mid-1990s underwent modernization in 2015 with the upgrade of anti-aircraft missile weapons, radar, RAP and GAS. The ship also received new supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.
3. The destroyers acquired in Russia, built according to the 956E and 956EM projects at the turn of the century, have been consistently undergoing deep modernization since 2015.
4. Project 052B destroyers are undergoing deep modernization from 2019 to the present.
Starting with the type 051B, the modernization of Chinese URO destroyers is carried out according to a very similar project. Single-girder and container launchers are dismantled from ships whenever possible (which noticeably increase the radar visibility of the vessel). They are replaced by installations of controlled vertical start-up (UVP) embedded in the housing. At the same time, the sensor equipment (radar and GAS), as well as the shock missile and defensive anti-aircraft weapons of the destroyers of the URO are completely updated.
ANTI-SHIP AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES
Subsonic anti-ship missiles YJ-83 (flight range – about 180 km) in the course of modernization are being replaced by a much more advanced complex (PKRK) with YJ-12 missiles equipped with a supersonic ramjet engine (RAMJET). When following a low trajectory (height up to 15 m), the maximum velocity of the projectile is two flight Mach numbers (M = 2), and the range is 230 km. At the same time, when using a high-altitude trajectory, the YJ-12 cruise missile accelerates to M = 3 and has a range of about 300 km.
The old Hurricane/Calm and HQ-7 complexes (a Chinese copy of the French Crotale short-range air defense system) are being replaced with a more modern HQ-16 air defense system, in fact, a copy of the Russian Buk-M2 from the Almaz-Antey air defense concern.
HQ-16 anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAMs) on upgraded ships are installed in individual UVP cells and have semi-active guidance.
Thus, in terms of its tactical and technical characteristics, the HQ-16 air defense system is very close to the Russian Shtil-1 air defense system, which is installed on modern frigates of the 11356R project (Admiral Grigorovich).
At the same time, as well as their Russian counterpart, the Chinese version of the Buk continues to be modified, which is reflected in the appearance of a new version of the Buk-M3.
In the latest modifications, the missile defense system received an active homing head and more powerful engines that increase the firing range from 40 km to 70-160 km (in the latest version of the HQ-16FE, demonstrated at the Airshow China 2022 exhibition).
In total, during the modernization of the destroyers of projects 051B, 956E/956EM and 052B, 32 UVP cells are installed on the ships.
THE OLD HORSES WILL TAKE THEIR FURROWS
In a word, the PLA Navy receives modernized ships that correspond in general technical terms to the multipurpose FR URO project 054A, but significantly surpass the latter in terms of autonomy and cruising range. In addition, due to the presence of a full-fledged hangar, they are able to carry heavy helicopters of the Kamov brand (anti-submarine Ka-27 and radar patrol Ka-31). And the new air defense-missile defense systems allow you to repel the attacks of cruise missiles. More powerful (compared to frigates) strike weapons pose a significant threat to enemy ships in the area of action.
Compared to frigates, the upgraded destroyers are better suited for long-distance hikes. This saves the resource of more modern EM URO while maintaining a high concentration of powerful surface ships of the PLA Navy near the coast of China.
Taking into account the Wuhan EM, the total number of updated destroyers of the last generation will be seven units. Although this figure does not look very impressive in the context of the annual acceptance of new frigates, destroyers and cruisers into the Chinese Navy, it indicates a systematic approach to the construction of the fleet. In a word, the military-political leadership of the PRC "does not scatter hulls" and carefully approaches the extension of the effective life cycle of old ships. And the refusal to write off obsolete destroyers confirms Beijing's course to increase the strength of the PLA Navy. New ships do not replace the old ones, but complement them. China is striving to maintain the flexibility of its surface fleet. In addition to the large-scale construction of new EM and FR, old ships are unified with them in terms of hull saturation.
conclusions
According to the views of Chinese strategists, at the present stage and in the near future, the development of this type of armed forces will be directed to the construction of large surface ships with powerful missile weapons. It is assumed that the process of improving the weapons available in the fleet and developing new systems based on the achieved level of science and technology, which is not inferior to that of Western countries, will continue. It seems that this type of ships will continue to receive increased attention in the future, since they form the basis of the combat power of the PLA Navy.
In addition, in accordance with the naval strategy of the People's Republic of China, they will be assigned the tasks of defeating naval targets, guarding aircraft carrier strike formations being formed and displaying the flag in remote waters.
Vasily Ivanov
Vasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
