The 14th Zhuhai Air Show has just concluded successfully. In addition to immersed in the large number of advanced domestic weapons and equipment exhibited in China, many Chinese military fans were also shocked by the advanced level of China's foreign trade equipment. In terms of army equipment, in addition to various weapons and equipment that can be sold separately, China launched the foreign trade synthetic brigade for the first time, which made many people's eyes shine. In terms of naval equipment, in addition to various ship-based air defense missiles, the 052DE foreign trade missile destroyer has also attracted a lot of attention.
But what is interesting is that in a CG video recently released by China Aerospace Science and Technology , the 055 large missile destroyer currently being equipped by the Chinese Navy appears for the first time. The 055 large drive in CG uses the HT-1E universal vertical launch system, launching multiple FM-3000N air defense missiles, intercepting three incoming US F-35C stealth fighters. This also proves that not only the 055 large drive itself has the ability to anti-stealth fighter, but the FM-3000N air defense missile also has the ability to anti-stealth fighter.
The interesting thing about this promotional video is that the HT-1E universal vertical launch system, as the focus of publicity, is not only used on the 055 large missile destroyer, but also on the 052DE missile destroyer. However, China's Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation chose the 055 large missile destroyer as a vehicle for the HT-1E general vertical launch system. Is it a hint that China is also preparing to export the 055 large missile destroyer?
This possibility is actually very great. From the foreign trade synthesis brigade at this Zhuhai Air Show, you can clearly feel that China's foreign trade military industrial enterprise has begun to change its thinking and try to transform from a single piece of export equipment to a systematic export weapon equipment. This has many benefits. First of all, the benefits of selling weapons and equipment in a systematic manner will definitely be higher. Secondly, the subsequent upgrades and improvements of the systemic weapons and equipment themselves can basically be achieved by us. Finally, it is to directly occupy the corresponding market and create conditions for subsequent additional sales.
Compared with Army equipment, Navy equipment is more technically complex and more expensive, which is more suitable for this sales model than the Army's synthetic brigade.
In fact, compared with the 052DE missile destroyer, the market prospects of the 055 large missile destroyer will be better. Because the missile destroyer , which is equivalent to or larger than 052DE, is itself a very sensitive naval technical equipment. This can also be seen from the current sales of the world's naval surface combat ships, the main body of the frigate , rather than the destroyer . To put it more bluntly, customers who can afford the 052DE, in fact, if they work harder, they can fully afford the 055 large missile destroyer.
From the perspective of combat effectiveness, even if the 346B type ship-based phased array radar is used, the performance of the foreign trade version of the 055 large missile destroyer is far better than the latest "Arley Burke" class missile destroyer , the current U.S. Navy. If the foreign trade version of the 055 large missile destroyer is equipped with the "Eagle Strike-21E" type carrier-based hypersonic missile, it will directly have a considerable degree of anti-intervention/regional denial combat capability for the US Navy aircraft carrier forces. In other words, for any country that wants to fight the US aircraft carrier , the attractiveness of this combination is very huge.
So, if China really launches the foreign trade version of the 055 large missile destroyer, which countries are most likely to buy it?
The one who is most likely to buy a large foreign trade 055 missile destroyer is naturally Russia. After the "Moscow" missile cruiser sinks, the greatest pressure on the Russian Navy is probably not that the number of large surface combat ships is insufficient, but that the outside world has greatly reduced the combat effectiveness expectations of the Russian Navy's large surface combat ships. This is a very terrible phenomenon, meaning that the enemy is likely to launch more frequent and radical attacks on the Russian Navy as a result.
Although Russia itself also has the "Zircon" hypersonic missile, the Russian Navy has severely lacked surface combat ships equipped with large ship-based phased array radars.Although the large missile destroyer imported from China's foreign trade version 055 will have an adverse impact on Russian domestic shipyards to a certain extent, Russia is obviously able to tolerate this adverse impact, referring to the fact that Russia planned to purchase the "Northwest Wind" class amphibious assault ship from France that year.
After purchasing China's foreign trade version 055 large missile destroyer, the Russian Pacific Fleet immediately had the ability to counter US Navy's Seventh Fleet , and no longer had to be afraid of the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that was always stationed in Japan as before. At the same time, the Russian Navy will also have stronger strength to explore Arctic routes. As for the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet , it does not need to be equipped with large surface combat ships of the 055 level. It is enough to have a 052DE missile destroyer.
The second potential customer is Pakistani , although it has been reported that Pakistani Navy attempts to equip aircraft carrier around 2040 to deal with the news that the Indian Navy is. However, the expenses required by aircraft carriers and aircraft carrier battle group are obviously not affordable by the Pakistani Navy, so the credibility of this news is not very high.
But the foreign trade 055 large missile destroyers are different. Whether it is the purchase price or the usage cost, Pakistan can still bear it if it is gritting its teeth. Most importantly, the Indian Navy will not only have a dual-carrier battle group in the future, but also intend to equip a three-carrier battle group, which will bring considerable maritime combat pressure to the Pakistani Navy. The 052DE missile destroyer can alleviate this situation to a certain extent, but if you want to better solve this problem, it is best to equip the foreign trade version of the 055 large missile destroyer.
The third potential customer is Saudi . Don’t look at Saudi Arabia as the current ally of the United States in the Middle East region, but the status of a weak ally and a strong ally are completely different. Moreover, Saudi Arabia itself needs to face Israel and Iran in the Middle East, and there are considerable practical needs. As for the so-called leak issue, there is no need to worry at all. Saudi Arabia's "Dongfeng-3" medium-range ballistic missile has not been shown to Americans for decades. It can be done completely if it buys the 055 large drive and does not give it to Americans.
The most important thing is that whether it is the United States, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, it is impossible to buy only 1-2 foreign trade versions of 055 large missile destroyers, right? Several supporting combat ships, such as the 052DE missile destroyer or the 054AP missile frigate, also need to be purchased. In this way, a complete comprehensive maritime combat system is formed.
If China really takes out the 055 large missile destroyer and exports it, it can also prove that we may already have large surface combat ships that are more advanced than the 055 large destroyer, and the 055A large missile destroyer may not be too far away.
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