052/052B Class Destroyers

Tam said:

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.

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If I took charge of the MLU, I would try my best to install 48-cell VLS. As for the YJ-12 launchers, 8 missiles should be enough.

blindsight said:

If I took charge of the MLU, I would try my best to install 48-cell VLS. As for the YJ-12 launchers, 8 missiles should be enough.

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That looks like 16 launchers for the YJ-12, much like the Shenzhen.

48 HHQ-16F would be nice, coupled with an air umbrella around 160km.

Would there really be more VLS cells than the Sovremenny MLUs? The Sovs are already larger than the Type 52Bs yet only fitted 32 AJK-16s. Does the 52B have more internal space to fit the extra VLS cells?

Hitomi said:

Would there really be more VLS cells than the Sovremenny MLUs? The Sovs are already larger than the Type 52Bs yet only fitted 32 AJK-16s. Does the 52B have more internal space to fit the extra VLS cells?

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I suspect the ship is weighted in such a way that you need to keep its balance by having a VLS on the rear. The original configuration for the 052B is one arm based missile launcher in the front, and in the back. But each of these missile cache contains 24 missiles each. You can't put all the missiles in the front after renovation as it would unbalance the ship. So you need to put at least some missiles in the rear. The ship's configuration could be 32 missiles in the front plus 16 missiles in the rear with the VLS or 16 here 16 there. Its either that you have to find some other way to counterbalance the ship and put some weight in the rear.

The Sovremenny itself is designed in a different era. Space wise it isn't as efficient, and its primarily designed for those eight huge Moskit missiles. Like the 051B, the 052B might have been designed for future VLS usage in mind but the VLS systems were not available during its time of construction.

Tam said:

I suspect the ship is weighted in such a way that you need to keep its balance by having a VLS on the rear. The original configuration for the 052B is one arm based missile launcher in the front, and in the back. But each of these missile cache contains 24 missiles each. You can't put all the missiles in the front after renovation as it would unbalance the ship. So you need to put at least some missiles in the rear. The ship's configuration could be 32 missiles in the front plus 16 missiles in the rear with the VLS or 16 here 16 there. Its either that you have to find some other way to counterbalance the ship and put some weight in the rear.

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Can't see any aft located VLS.

Tam said:

That looks like 16 launchers for the YJ-12, much like the Shenzhen.

48 HHQ-16F would be nice, coupled with an air umbrella around 160km.

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Hi
sorry to be a knob this 160 km is for downing fighter jets
if that’s the case just a reference Brahmos is around 250km
range will this not be less to bring the fighter down before
the range of their missile
how this all works in this kind of:scenario if possible to answer
thank you

snake65 said:

Can't see any aft located VLS.

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Is it the final stage? Really discounting… Not much more powerful than a 054A at all. A lot of wasted space…

defenceman said:

Hi
sorry to be a knob this 160 km is for downing fighter jets
if that’s the case just a reference Brahmos is around 250km
range will this not be less to bring the fighter down before
the range of their missile
how this all works in this kind of:scenario if possible to answer
thank you

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The missile won't be used to shoot down the fighter it will be used to shoot down the antiship missile itself.

snake65 said:

Can't see any aft located VLS.

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They were trying to do this one time but I guess they revised it again. One reason why the refits is taking too long. Lots of wasted space there from an oversized hanger.

Tam said:

They were trying to do this one time but I guess they revised it again. One reason why the refits is taking too long. Lots of wasted space there from an oversized hanger.

View attachment 110667

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So they are not trying to squeeze another set of VLSes?

Maybe upon further consideration by the PLAN higher ups, they decided that it's better to maintain its ASuW capabilities by retaining the larger hangar for the Ka-28 since it's probably going to be a second line destroyer anyway and trying to fit the extra VLS would tradeoff capabilities not required for its second line duties(ASuW) while the YJ-12s and AJK-16 swaps are just low hanging fruit?