MIGleader
Banned Idiot
akinkhoo said:Asymmetry? i agreed; this is the only way for china to maintain balance of power against countries with a highly developed military is to hope for a weakness to exploit.
i believe the current development does not provide china with an offensive advantage, the complete lack of fleet level minesweeping capability would make any offensive move into contested water dangerous for it fleet. not to say the still limited (but improved) anti-air and anti-sub capability.
it is not to china's advantage to display this newly found naval power to the rest of the world. it creates a false impression that china has build a force able to meet another military power in open seas; this is not true, china has only just begun to have limited ability to 'hold the line' within the 1st island chain. (something that is important to china as it seek the means to delay foreign forces from arriving to taiwan's aid in time if an unfortunate confrontation does occur.) but showing strength is not good: one should not show his strength to his rivals, as it would increase their preparation to meet you. pride is the worst thing modern china could have before it matures!
sub are the only thing china has that i think that can operate beyond china's seas with some effect. this is the realistic picture i have in my head today. while not as advanced as the rivals', their presence can make the opposing fleet to slowdown and move more defensively.
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in my untrained opinion for the future development of china's fleet;
china has build it's modern destroyers in relativity smaller quantities, has prompted my concerns if it was due to diffculty in acquiring advance subsystem for the ship. the construct of ship with similiar roles the 51C which is less impressive than the 52C that has already been completed suggest that china may not have the options to choose it's ship.
for this i think china's production in major combatant ship will not rise sharply in the next few years as neocon suggested, and that the building of many classes may not be of "experimenting" purposes, but rather limitation in the 'supply chain' of advanced components. and what we see today, is all we are gonna get for a while.
i am begining to rethink the importance of lifting the european arm embargo. it seem to be more important than just to provide china with an alternative market which could drive down russian prices; but that russia simply could not equip china with all the parts they need to build an all-round ship. and without european system, china will continue to be limited to asymmetry capability!
well, there are few holes in your argument. the 2 round construction isnt due at all to any kind of supply limitation. china has the steel and the radar. there have been occasional delays in aquiring engines, which prevented the contruction of the second 167 class.
the 51c merely serves as a stepping stone advanced air defence ship for the north sea fleet, whos most advanced ship right now is only the 52. the reduction in performance may be a combination of efforts to save money, and to continue aquiring decent warships while jingnan is relocated, and as 52d is being designed.
im sure any of chinas new destroyer could venture out to deep sea, but they would be vulnerable to submarine attacks. im amazed that the plan seems to disregard asw so much.
