That's hilarious, the text on the container reads "The Plan for the Maritime Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation and the Maritime Community with a Shared Future for Mankind (中华民族海洋复兴与人类海洋命运共同体计划)"
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PLA Navy news, pics and videos
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Nope, big cupola is type 366. It's SSM OtH active/passive system. This is a full on merchant cruiser.
I was wondering what the text on the containers were.
At least they have a sense of humour about it.
I guess the next question is what calibre those VLS tubes are -- whether they're H/AJK-16 pattern, UVLS pattern, or something else entirely.
For a Taiwan contingency one might even suggest this specific loadout with anywhere from 48-60 VLS (4-5 ISO containers abreast, 3 ISO containers longitudinal, 4 tubes per container) would be somewhat overkill given the VLS tubes themselves seem full sized for up to LRSAM weapons. Perhaps they may benefit from an ISO container configured for packing the 3-5 MR SAM, HQ-17 and/or HQ-15/FK-3000s small SAMs instead.
Now we wait for a certain civilian RORO ship-tracking guy a.k.a. Tom Shugart on Twitter to go REEEEEEE at this.
If it was docked at the old HDZH site, that does lend some credence that it might actually have some legitimate systems onboard that would require a shipyard that does proper naval work... though I must say the thing which strikes me as most odd is the Chinese text on the containers themselves.
That is far too "amusing" for most proper PLA/PRC MIC projects to advertise so openly, which is the biggest reason why I'm a bit skeptical as to whether this thing may be real or not.
The text is a bit too goofy and black/gold seems a bit off for a proper PLA project. I'm going to stay skeptical until a big fish corroborates.
Otter on Weibo:
(Though, (understandably) Otter is still doubtful on whether these containerized radar and weapon systems are actually real or just movie props)
(Though, (understandably) Otter is still doubtful on whether these containerized radar and weapon systems are actually real or just movie props)
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Those concepts are so different from one another in feasibility that they should be considered as highly, highly off the mark.
Containerized weapons loaded on container ships or other ships able to be fitted with ISO containers, is something that has been around for decades and proposed and developed by multiple nations.
Jury-rigging merchant ships to operate STOVL fighters requires the PLA to first have a STOVL fighter in service in the first place, then to deal with the complexity of refuelling, rearming and recovering a STOVL fighter on a ship not explicitly designed to do so.... whereas containerized weapons and sensors is by its nature self contained and modular.
The closest thing that has happened to that in the world is where the UK had some Harriers from the Atlantic Conveyer during the Falklands, but it was used as an offloading vessel rather than genuinely operating them as part of routine operations.
So don't take this as an indication that the idea is viable or feasible.