Come on now, don't act as if you've never seen this type of behavior, especially on internet military sites, and even on this one. I'm not accusing you of this behavior, but the 055 is definitely the perfect candidate (or rather victim) for use in epeen contests given its potential to be the largest Asian surface combatant, potentially even rivalling the displacement of the DDG-1000. I can already sense some of this going on in this very thread. The mad rush to install this relatively giant warship as the mass-produced standard-bearing footsoldier of the PLAN is as amusing as it is bemusing. Do people realize that this ship is potentially one third larger than an Arleigh Burke??
Oh absolutely I realize that 055 has been a condensation point for some of this kind of behaviour, but ever since the 055 first seriously became considered as a project a few years ago, in my experience most of the fanboy posturing around it was more related to the capability of the 055 itself -- such as saying things like it'll have a 155mm gun, or that it'll make Zumwalt obsolete etc, that it'll have 200 or whatever VLS -- and less about the absolute number of 055s that will end up being built.
At the very least, in the last few pages of posts, I think discussion about 055's numbers has not exhibited much fanboy posturing.
In any case, the issue of cost efficiency is merely one factor in the equation of what goes into a SAG. You also have to consider that China's potential opponents may be stronger and more technologically savvy, meaning that you don't necessarily want 3 large warships in the place of 5 or 6 smaller ones since they may be more at risk than the risk they impose on enemy vessels. This state of affairs will likely persist until around the middle of this century. The other as I have already mentioned is role. Every member of the SAG will have a role, and some roles don't need to be performed by some ships. Having a SAG consisting mainly or solely of a bunch of 055s is IMO a supreme waste of a 055. Another benefit of having more 052Ds is the ability to enlarge your air defense zones, such as if you are preparing for a multi-axis attack.
Yes, I'm aware of the benefits of having an SAG made up of a larger number of small ships vs a smaller number of large ships. However I think there are also benefits of having an SAG made up of a smaller number of large ships vs vice versa, and that there is probably a compromise somewhere in the middle as well.
And just to be clear, I was never suggesting that 055s should make up the only ship type in such hypothetical SAGs -- rather they could make up the "bulk". So say, 2-3 055s, 2 052Ds and 2 054As for example could make up a larger sized SAG, and maybe a smaller SAG could have 2 055s, 1 052D, and 1 054A (or 2 052Ds and no 054A, or 2 054As), but in to both cases the 055s would make up the majority of the displacement and firepower of such an SAG.
Also, I don't see a role for a PLAN SAG to perform a primarily land attack mission anytime in the near future. I don't think China has any land targets at this time that can't be reached more quickly and efficiently by shore- or air-launched cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, especially with the newer generations of Chinese LACMs with ranges of 2,000+ km. If and when China's appetite grows large enough to sail to distant lands and make some craters like the US does now, this may be more of a role that PLAN SAGs will take on.
Well, we'll see I suppose.
I personally can envisage the Chinese Navy wanting to have a USN style land attack capability via SAGs by the mid 2020s, which they may choose to implement by having a reasonably large force of 055s, but of course also having medium weight destroyers and of course frigates.
I'm not saying the Navy definitely will get a large number of 055s, but at this point I think there's enough logic to argue it for either way, and not enough solid evidence to put either argument convincingly above the other.
