"Military and Military Sub-Plane" Author: Lu Zhi
Recently, the second 054AP frigate purchased by Pakistan from my country was officially delivered. This 4,000-ton multi-purpose frigate is the most powerful in Pakistan. The Pakistani official and military are very interested in 055, which is similar to the previous interest in J-20 and even plans to introduce it. To answer these questions, is 055 suitable for Pakistan Navy ? Are there any other warships more suitable for Pakistan?
▲Picture source: Internet.
The Pakistan Navy is relatively weak in scale and strength in the world. Although the Pakistan Air Force can fight back and forth with India, and the Army relies on relatively good main battle equipment, it is considered to be excellent, but in terms of the Navy, Pakistan is far inferior to India. On the one hand, India is determined to turn the Indian Ocean into the Indian Ocean. On the other hand, India itself has a long coastline and really needs to build a strong navy for defense. Since Pakistan's economic strength is significantly different from India's, Pakistan often uses cost-effective methods when developing its military, and the best partner is our country. Judging from the current situation, Pakistan does not actually need high-level warships. The 4,000-ton frigate such as the 054A is enough. India has destroyers and destroyers, so if Pakistan really needs it and my country allows it, I believe improvements like the 052C will be more appropriate.
▲052C Although it is outdated equipment in the eyes of military fans, it is still far from being retired and replaced. Image source: Internet. The reason why
055 is inappropriate is because of its special positioning. At present, there is only one warship in the world that is really close to the 055, and that is the Ticonderoga . After all, the Burke 3 has not yet entered service. Ticonderoga is the world's first 10,000-ton warship with extremely comprehensive combat capabilities. Its predecessor is the US military's Spruance-class destroyer . Ticonderoga is equipped with complete air defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, as well as the epoch-making Aegis radar system and advanced command system. It can not only become the regional air defense force of the aircraft carrier, but also rely on the equipped anti-ship missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles conduct ship-to-ship and land-attack operations. In comparison, the Burke-class destroyer is more like a dedicated air defense destroyer. Its anti-submarine and land attack capabilities are not as powerful as the Ticonderoga-class. The early Burke-class destroyer did not even have a helicopter hangar. . Originally, the United States used to replace the Ticonderoga-class warships, the Zumwalt-class . However, due to various mistakes and problems with the warship itself, the Zumwalt-class was abandoned and was actually used to replace the Ticonderoga. Instead it was Burke 3.
▲055 is more like an enhanced version of Ticonderoga. Image source: Internet.
055 In other words, it is a Ticonderoga class that is more advanced, more powerful, and has stronger stealth capabilities. And its core purpose is to become the intermediate defense and offensive force of our country's ocean-going aircraft carrier battle group. In addition to the 346B radar, the core of the 055 is 112 large-size vertical transmitters. The main ones used are anti-aircraft missiles and advanced anti-ship missiles plus Changjian 10 land attack missiles. Of course, judging from some recent news, hypersonic weapons and even anti-ship ballistic missiles and sea-based ballistic missile defense systems can also be used. Such a warship with almost no shortcomings and capable of both attack and defense is naturally inappropriate for a defense-oriented navy like Pakistan. In contrast, the Glorious-class cruiser used by Russia is a very old offensive weapon and cannot be perfectly used as the core warship of an aircraft carrier battle group. It is only right to retire it early.
▲Picture source: Internet.
The most advanced warship currently exported by our country is actually the Type 054AP. If we compare the warships exported by various countries in the world, this warship can be regarded as one of the most advanced.After all, for European countries, the replacement problem of their own warships has not been completely solved, and the United States has a large number of old warships waiting for the construction of new warships. As mentioned above, if it is necessary to export 052C to Pakistan, it is actually impossible, because the data does not tell lies. Maybe you often read the news about the construction of warships by the Chinese Navy and feel that the Chinese Navy is crazy about dumplings. The actual number of equipment should be quite good. But if you really look at the data, you will find that there is still a qualitative gap between the size of our navy and the number of advanced warships compared with the United States.
▲The Burke class is the main force, with extremely large numbers. Image source: Internet.
There are currently a total of 8 055 destroyers in service in our country, the number of 052D destroyers in service is about 26, and the number of 052C is relatively small, only 6. In addition to these three main destroyers, there are generally only 1 or 2 remaining destroyers such as 051C and 052B. Even counting the four modern-class destroyers that were once the largest tonnage, the total number of "10,000-ton-class" destroyers in our country is only about 40. The United States has the Ticonderoga and Burke classes, plus the Zumwalt class, and the number of 10,000-ton warships has reached about 100. The United States is all standard 10,000-ton class, while our country's real 10,000-ton class warships The level is only 055, which is quite a distance.
▲Picture source: Internet.
Therefore, it is unreasonable to say that the 052C and the improved modern class are sold to Russia. To really sell these warships, it should be that a new improved model of our country's 055 appears and is built in large quantities. At least the total number of 052D and 055 exceeds 50, which is enough for the aircraft carrier formation, and when the follow-up warships start to sell dumplings, it will be possible to modify these relatively less advanced warships and sell them to other countries. At this stage, destroyers like the Type 052C are still capable of making waves in the world. Both tonnage and combat capabilities, including overall technical strength, are on the upper side. Furthermore, our country's shipyards are so powerful that if other countries need to purchase them, they can deliver them as new production without having to choose from existing warships.
▲Picture source: Internet.
