052/052B Class Destroyers

[para80]

Seems like a new image, supposedly of 169? From 里海赛艇/Weibo.

 

[para80]

New (?) image of 168. Notably we can count some of the cells of the VLS at the bow. Indeed appears to be a 32 cell installation as we mostly expected. From

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

/Weibo.

 

[Tam]

Its a 32 cell installation, but unlike the 051B refit and the 054A, this is a 2 x 16 cell installation, with one set on the bow, and the other set just between the secondary radar on the back and the hanger. This is meant to balance the ship, since the original configuration is like the Sovremenny where you have one set of Shtil in front and another set of Shtil in the back. The Sovremenny refit also has a 2 x 16 cell installation.

Like the 051B and Sovremenny refits, the 052B refit inherits the 052D ESM mast. The rest is what you might expect, with the Type 382 radar replacing the Fregat, Type 364 (the 052B was the first to introduce this, but this is now probably the latest version being installed), Type 366 replacing the Mineral-ME and 366-2 datalinks replacing the Mineral-ME 3, the entire AJK-16 set with the illuminators, the Type 726 ESM/ECM set (the 052B's set is outdated) including the 726-4 decoy launchers. Which are all standard fare.

They are already putting the supports for the ASM launchers, and I bet its going to be for the YJ-12.

Pictures on the back is important to ascertain if a VDS is installed.

 

[blindsight]

Its a 32 cell installation, but unlike the 051B refit and the 054A, this is a 2 x 16 cell installation, with one set on the bow, and the other set just between the secondary radar on the back and the hanger. This is meant to balance the ship, since the original configuration is like the Sovremenny where you have one set of Shtil in front and another set of Shtil in the back. The Sovremenny refit also has a 2 x 16 cell installation.

Like the 051B and Sovremenny refits, the 052B refit inherits the 052D ESM mast. The rest is what you might expect, with the Type 382 radar replacing the Fregat, Type 364 (the 052B was the first to introduce this, but this is now probably the latest version being installed), Type 366 replacing the Mineral-ME and 366-2 datalinks replacing the Mineral-ME 3, the entire AJK-16 set with the illuminators, the Type 726 ESM/ECM set (the 052B's set is outdated) including the 726-4 decoy launchers. Which are all standard fare.

They are already putting the supports for the ASM launchers, and I bet its going to be for the YJ-12.

Pictures on the back is important to ascertain if a VDS is installed.

It seems there’s enough space left on the front deck? Why not to put a 32-cell AJK-16 system there?

 

[para80]

More images of what I'm guessing is 168. From Weibo/

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[hkvaryag]

New photo. MR-90 radars' antennas are flatten. Having new AESA antennas？？？？

 

[Tam]

New photo. MR-90 radars' antennas are flatten. Having new AESA antennas？？？？
View attachment 110368

The previous pictures also has flattened domes so it's no illusion. It could be AESA but using the old housing design. This is probably how they intend to upgrade older 054A designs.

 

[Totoro]

If they're indeed el. steered arrays, it could also solve the height engagement limit issue from which the old Soviet/Russian and later Chinese SAM systems suffered, using those old illuminator arrays.

 

[Tam]

It seems there’s enough space left on the front deck? Why not to put a 32-cell AJK-16 system there?

I thought from a previous picture they are putting a VLS behind the second radar dome at the rear. If they put 32 VLS on the front, I'll revise my expectations. But there's also the other option that they put 32 VLS on fron but there's still another VLS in the rear pushing total cell count to 48.

The antiship missiles supports looks like the ones on the 051B refit so this can mean 16 YJ-12 supersonic AshMs.

 

[Tam]

I suspect the ship's delay in it's MLU comes from last minute modifying the ship for the new illuminators. If the ship has the naval counterpart of the HQ-16FE, it's air defense range now reaches a good 160km.