Since entering the 21st century, with the increasing strength of comprehensive national strength, in addition to the continuous 10,000-ton giant ships such as aircraft carrier , amphibious assault ship , dock landing ship , dock landing ship , etc., which had not been equipped before, the second-class ships that constitute the most important force in the surface combat ships of the Chinese Navy, namely the destroyer and frigate , have shown a "explosive force" pattern.
As of October 2022, the Chinese Navy has 50 destroyers in service, including 41 large air defense destroyers equipped with phased array radar and carrier-based vertical launch devices, and 9 general-purpose destroyers that have no phased array radars with short-range air defense means or have regional air defense capabilities.
41 large air defense destroyers, 8 Type 055 12,500 tons have 112 launch silos, 13 Type 052D 6,500 tons have 64 launch silos, 12 Type 052DL 7,000 tons have 64 launch silos, 6 Type 052C 6,000 tons have 48 launch silos, and 2 Type 051C 7,000 tons have 48 launch silos.
9 general-purpose destroyers, two 052 type 4800 tons equipped with one 8-linked "Haihongqi"-7 short-range air defense missile launcher, one 051B type 6600 tons with 32 launch silos, two 5850 tons of type 052B are being renovated in the shipyard, two single-arm SA-N-7 air defense missile launchers will be removed and replaced with 32 unit launch silos, two 956E type "Hyundai" class 8000 tons with 32 launch silos, two 956E/M type "Hyundai" class 8000 tons equipped with two single-arm SA-N-7 medium-range air defense missile launchers.
It is reported that during the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese Navy reopened the "dumpling dumpling" mode made by surface ships such as destroyers and frigates. A ship in the north also started to build 5 7,000-ton 052DL destroyers (the latest statement on the Internet is 052DM) destroyers. A shipyard in the south has launched one 052DL model, and another 3 052DL type destroyers have also been on the ship platform.
The Chinese Navy will add at least 13 052DL air defense destroyers (the latest statement on the Internet is to add 16). Once the construction work is completed, the Chinese Navy will soon have 38/41 052D/DL air defense destroyers.
Chinese Navy is currently in service, of which 31 Type 054A 4000 tons have 32 launch silos, 2 Type 054 3900 tons are equipped with 1 24-mounted "Hongqi"-10 short-range air defense missile, 8 Type 053H3 2400 tons are equipped with 1 8-mounted "Hongqi"-10 short-range air defense missile, and 50 Type 056A 1400 tons are equipped with 1 8-mounted "Hongqi"-10 short-range air defense missile.
It is reported that 9 of the Type 054A frigates with an additional 20 ships have entered the sea trial state, and several may be put into service by the end of 2022; by 2024, the scale of the Chinese Navy's Type 054A frigates can reach an astonishing 50.
In addition, the ocean-type 054B 5000/6000-ton class has 32/48 standard ship-based vertical launch device frigates, which can launch "Eagle Strike"-18 long-range anti-ship missiles and "Haihongqi"-9 long-range air defense missiles, and can also launch "Hongqi"-16B/C regional air defense missiles with a range of 70/100 kilometers.
will have another 24-combined "Hongqi"-10 short-range air defense missile above the ship's hangar, plus a 1130 11-barrel 30mm close-range gun, so that the combat power of the 54B frigate far exceeds that of the 054A frigate and the 052C air defense destroyer, and will replace these two types of destroyers in aircraft carrier to escort the position of ship . The first ship of the frigate has been started in a shipyard in Guangzhou. The first batch of frigate will be 8. The specific number of ships will be unknown in the future, and may be multiples of 8, that is, 16 ships, 24 ships, 32 ships, etc. are all possible. The Chinese Navy, which has achieved strategic transformation, is very much looking forward to the large ocean frigate of 5000/6000 tons.
As for the construction of the 055 10,000-ton large-driving ship, there is still no news of the shipyard starting construction on the Internet. The reason may be that the unit price is as high as more than 6 billion yuan, and the high cost temporarily restricts the follow-up project of this giant ship.
Perhaps the Chinese Navy is still waiting for the launch of novel carrier-based power systems and carrier-based weapon systems such as integrated all-electric propulsion system (IEP), electromagnetic railgun system, laser interceptor, particle beam weapon .
The pressure of the epidemic, the breakdown of the supply chain, the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war, geopolitical and maritime rights and interests, etc., mankind is in a change that has not been encountered in a century. All these uncertain factors have exacerbated the instability in the Asia-Pacific and even the world.
The threat of war still exists. China is facing curbing separatism, opposing interference from external forces, promoting the reunification of the motherland, etc., and promoting the continuous expansion of the scale of main battleships such as destroyers and frigates. When the navy is strong, the national security will be basically guaranteed and can protect the reform and opening up.
