054/A FFG Thread II

F40Racer

New Member
To me the new ship look slightly larger than 054A. I think it might be comparable to 052 Luhu-class destroyer in term of displacement and overall size.
 
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snake65

Junior Member
VIP Professional
The comparison picture seems to indicate that this ship will have higher superstructure aft of bridge and will have shields for SSMs as well as may have hangar space for two Z-9 class helicopters
 

crobato

Colonel
VIP Professional
You have to be careful with any observations because there are white cloth covering the scaffolding built around the ship, and it may give the impression they're part of the ship.
 

yehe

Junior Member
I have heard that the 054A based on 054 just isn't large enough for the HHQ16 VLS, they hade to make several modifications to 054A to fit it into the ship, including making the bow conventional instead of leaning inward as 054, so if a 054B comes out, it make sense that it will be somewhat larger.
 

tphuang

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
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This is really very strange to me, I've never seen the platform for the gun this high on a PLAN ship. This certainly wasn't the case on previous 054As, I'm not too sure why. Maybe I'm overestimating the height of this thing, but it sure is different from the one on previous 054As, if you compared them.
 

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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
This is really very strange to me, I've never seen the platform for the gun this high on a PLAN ship. This certainly wasn't the case on previous 054As, I'm not too sure why. Maybe I'm overestimating the height of this thing, but it sure is different from the one on previous 054As, if you compared them.

Perhaps that mount is not fully set into it's proper position yet. Give the builders some time then check back to see what she looks like.
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
Yep, i'd say its definitely not positioned yet. Observe it is still hanging from the crane. That being said, isn't the platform (or however its called) a bit too wide for a 76mm gun? This looks bigger... if so, that's a bit sad as 76mm definitely seems a better fit for possible missions 054 class might have to perform.
 

mehdi

Junior Member
Ok let me add some observations, mainly speculations but it does look to me as the circular sam launcher on the 051C and the 052C. Anyway it is huge can't be sure if it's really a mount.
 

planeman

Senior Member
VIP Professional
Chinese Type-054A Frigate compared
The modern Chinese navy is fast catching up for lost years when it was generally regarded as backwards and impotent. Among the modern warships being produced are the Type-054A multirole frigates. At first glance these are arguably the best all-round frigates in East-Asia.
10789706jn9.jpg


To test that idea I’ve conducted a very quick and dirty comparison between the Type-054A and the other obvious contenders representing Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia. I chose the ships that closest equated to the GP frigate role whilst also being the most modern (in this classification) of their country’s warships. The contenders:

Formidable class, Singapore
Very modern French designed stealth frigates. My personal favorite.
Formidable2.jpg


Takanami class, Japan
Japan doesn’t the frigate classification but the closest fit is the Takanami class destroyer. It is however much bigger than the others in this comparison.
dd11320at1.jpg


Gwanggaeto the Great Class, South Korea
Aka KDX1, this class is not as modern or as capable as the KDX-II and KDX-III classes but is closest to a frigate description although classified as a Destroyer by ROKN.
ddh-971-topport.jpg


Upgraded Cheng Kung class, Taiwan
Closely derived from the US Oliver Hazard Perry class, these ships have additional AAA and a much more powerful anti-ship fit.
610xdw6.jpg


Upgraded Adelaide class, Australia
Another OHP type, the Australian frigates have gone through a significant weapons upgrade.
ffg01dtd5.jpg



The comparison….


SAMs
frigatecomp1samci8.png

This is a difficult one. On the one hand the Formidible’s Aster-15 missile with it’s active guidance is almost certainly the most advanced, but Adelaide’s mix of long ranged SM-2 and a potential 32 ESSM definitely wins the longer ranged battle and the quantity game (although conceptually Takanami could carry a whopping 128 ESSMs quad-packed into the VLS). I’d go for Adelaide as winner but it’s not an outright win by any means.
frigatecompsamgi3.jpg



CIWS
frigatecomp1ciwslp7.png

The Korean ship is the natural winner here with two 30mm Goalkeepers giving a full 360 degree coverage against sea-skimming missiles. Takanami also has 360 degree coverage but with the less potent Phalanx. The Chinese Type-54A has good coverage with the potentially excellent Type-730s plus a DP gun forward but has a nagging blind spot at the rear that keeps it from top place. Formidable appears the weakest and in purely CIWS that is true, but I think the Singaporeans are placing their faith in the awesome Aster-15 anti-missile missiles.
Conceptually CIWS coverage could be improved on the warships with OTO-Melara 76mm guns by the purchase of guided and advanced fused AAA rounds but there are no reports of the Australian, Taiwanese or Singaporean governments doing so (?)
frigatecompciwshs4.jpg



Anti-Ship
frigatecomp1ashmmj8.png

This is going to be a surprising result for many. With its mix of Hsiung-Feng III supersonic long range missiles and Hsiung-Feng II long range dual-guidance subsonic missiles the Taiwanese Cheng Kung class is the clear leader.
frigatecompashmgg9.jpg


Anti-Submarine
frigatecomp1aswkk3.png

The much larger “ASW Destroyer” Takanami class has the distinct advantage in this aspect, carrying ASROC missiles and a very advanced sonar fit.
frigatecompaswfc0.jpg



Overall ranking
This is very difficult. There is no clear-cut across the board winner, but the Takanami is probably the most capable overall. Having said that, it’s much bigger and probably more expensive than the others and is certainly not the best in terms of air-defence or anti-surface warfare.
frigatecompoverallvv4.jpg

The much-upgraded Adelaide is certainly very potent but disadvantaged by older sensors and the OHP heritage – the ship itself simply isn’t that modern. The Formidable however is extremely modern and has some very advanced systems and design features. The Type-054A is certainly up there.
If we look at a few other considerations we could easily be persuaded away from the raw weapons stats that put the Takanami up there as the best overall:
frigatecompotherqr0.jpg


In summary then, Takanami has the clear ASW and size advantage, and is probably best overall, but each has certain characteristics that stand out as ‘best in class’ among the selection. The Chinese Type-054A certainly isn’t miles behind the western types in any regard.
 
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mehdi

Junior Member
This is the best post I ever saw on this forum. 5 stars planeman, that was fantastic.
 
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