Chinese Navy (PLAN) News & Discussions

[ahojunk]

Chinese Navy carries out counter-attack drill in South China Sea
(Chinadaily.com.cn) 14:03, February 21, 2017

Missile destroyers Changsha and Haikou, part of the Chinese Navy's Nanhai Fleet, fire at simulated enemy destroyers during a counter-attack drill in the South China Sea on Feb 19, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

A missile destroyer fires at the simulated enemy during a drill in the South China Sea on Feb 19, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

Soldiers on a flight deck deploy a floating target to act as the simulated enemy destroyer during a drill in the South China Sea on Feb 19, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

A soldier on the missile destroyer Changsha fires flares during a drill in the South China Sea on Feb 19, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

 

[cirr]

A watered-down version of the design that failed to win bid for PLAN's next generation frigate(054B/057)

Meet China's triple-hulled warship of the future


A trimaran vessel with all-electric propulsion, multiple helicopters, and anti-ship missiles.

By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer Yesterday at 12:44am
Weibo

Trimaran Frigate

The Trimaran Frigate, of which Chinese shipbuilders hope to start building next year, can reach top speeds of 35 knots, and has heavy weaponry, along with room for helicopters and other payloads.


At the Dubai IDEX defense exposition, arms makers from around the world show off their latest wares. A notable debut at the recent 2017 show: a new, triple hulled Chinese warship design.

While showing off a model of the planned ship, China Shipbuilding Trading Company announced that it is aiming to start construction on a "trimaran" warship in 2018 for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).


The Chinese navy already uses smaller trimaran ships for noncombat missions—think training torpedo recovery, search and rescue, and oceanographic research.

So what exactly are trimaran ships? The major distinction is they three hulls: one large, central one and two rearward smaller hulls connected by decks or girders. The design is used in the U.S. Navy's new USS Independence subclass of the Littorial Combat Ship, and in fact the new Chinese ship looks very similar to that class.

The design means the ships have the advantage of a wider deck to operate more aircraft; this frigate design has a two-door hangar for helicopters and vertical take-off landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Trimarans can also reach higher speeds, due to the reduced drag of having three hulls instead of a single wider one.

Hongjian via China Defense Forum

Heavy Firepower

For a Trimaran, the Chinese frigate is heavily armed, with a 76mm turret, 16-32 vertical-launching system cells, 2 close-in weapon systems (CWIS), and 8 heavy anti-ship missile launchers—all within stealthy superstructure.


The Chinese trimaran frigate will be about 465 feet long, and has a beam of 105 feet and a weight of 2,450 tons. Interestingly, it may be the first Chinese warship to use an integrated electrical propulsion system (IEPS) to provide the power for driving its three pumpjets. It is unclear if the announced 2,450-ton displacement is full or light.

US Navy

USS Independence

The USS Independence is faster than the Chinese trimaran frigate and has more facilities for special forces, but is less heavily armed.



If we're comparing the vessel to the USS Independence subclass of the Littorial Combat Ship, the latter is designed as a high-speed platform, with a top speed estimated at 50 knots, which is faster than the Chinese trimaran frigate's announced 30-35-knot top speed. The Chinese trimaran frigate is far more heavily armed for conventional warfare; the American ship mounts only a 57mm cannon plus provisions for anti-ship missiles while the Chinese ship boasts the capacity for a 76mm cannon, anti-ship missiles, and vertical-launching system cells for carrying anti-ship, land attack cruise and anti-air missiles.

That being said, the USS Independence offers the flexibility of changing out mission modules (such as between anti-submarine and mine countermeasure missions). This flexibility may be overstated, however, as both trimaran designs have wide decks for intensive helicopter operations, and the Chinese version also appears to have ample cargo spaces to embark maritime special forces and unmanned surface and underwater systems.

Weibo

Double Duty

The trimaran frigate has room for two helicopter hangars, which hold multi-role helicopter and unmanned aircraft systems for mine countermeasure missions, attacks, transportation, and search and rescue missions.



If built, the trimaran frigate would provide the PLAN with a high-speed, heavily armed warship for littoral operations in the East and South China Seas. It would likely serve as a complement to smaller Type 022 stealth missile boats and Type 056 corvettes; fast enough to keep up with them, and provide them with area air defense and helicopter coverage. Its space for special operations and aviation units also makes it a candidate for Chinese special operations in the littoral environment, and its speed makes it a good rapid-response unit to regional emergencies. Finally, its large carrying capacity could come into play as a heavily armed mothership and command center for Chinese drones, unmanned boats, and submarine robots. If the PLAN does buy this trimaran frigate, it'll have a warship that will open up new places in high paced 21st-century naval combat.

http://www.popsci.com/chinas-new-triple-hulled-warship#page-10

 

[cirr]

CIWS630 v3.0

CIWS630 v3.0

 

[Get Ya Wig Split]

The PLA Navy is likely to secure significant new funding in China's upcoming defense budget as Beijing seeks to check U.S. dominance of the high seas and step up its own projection of power around the globe.

China's navy has been taking an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and new Chinese warships popping up in far-flung places.

Now, with President Donald Trump promising a U.S. shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.

"It's opportunity in crisis," said a Beijing-based Asian diplomat, of China's recent naval moves. "China fears Trump will turn on them eventually as he's so unpredictable and it's getting ready."

Beijing does not give a breakdown for how much it spends on the navy, and the overall official defense spending figures it gives - 954.35 billion yuan ($139 billion) for 2016 - likely understates its investment, according to diplomats.

China unveils the defense budget for this year at next month's annual meeting of parliament, a closely watched figure around the region and in Washington, for clues to China's intentions.

China surprised last year with its lowest increase in six years, 7.6 percent, the first single-digit rise since 2010, following a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit jumps.

"Certainly, the PLA Navy has really been the beneficiary of a lot of this new spending in the past 15 years," said Richard Bitzinger, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Military Transformations Programme at the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"We don't how much they spend on the navy, but simply extrapolating from the quantity and the quality of things that are coming out of their shipyards, it's pretty amazing."

RAPID DEVELOPMENT

The Chinese navy, once generally limited to coastal operations, has developed rapidly under President Xi Jinping's ambitious military modernization.

It commissioned 18 ships in 2016, including missile destroyers, corvettes and guided missile frigates, according to state media.

Barely a week goes by without an announcement of some new piece of equipment, including an electronic reconnaissance ship put into service in January.

Still, the PLA Navy significantly lags the United States, which operates 10 aircraft carriers to China's one, the Soviet-era Liaoning.

Xu Guangyu, a retired major general in the People's Liberation Army now senior adviser to the government-run China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said China was keenly aware of the U.S. ability to project power at sea.

"It's like a marathon and we're falling behind. We need to step on the gas," Xu said.

Trump has vowed to increase the U.S. Navy to 350 ships from the current 290 as part of "one of the "greatest military buildups in American history", a move aides say is needed to counter China's rise as a military power.

"We’ve known this is a 15-20 year project and every year they get closer to being a blue-water navy with global aspirations," said a U.S. administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"What you have seen this last year and what I think you will see with the new budget is that they are moving ahead with the short-term goal of being the premier naval force in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, with the mid-term goal, of extending all the way to the Indian Ocean."

In January, China appointed new navy chief, Shen Jinlong, to lead that push.

Shen has enjoyed a meteoric rise and is close to Xi, diplomatic and leadership sources say.

"The navy has gotten very lucky with Shen," said a Chinese official close to the military, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Now they know for certain their support goes all the way to the top."

Recent PLA Navy missions have included visits to Gulf states, where the United States has traditionally protected sea lanes, and to the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, in what the state-run website StrongChina called Shen's "first show of force against the United States, Japan and Taiwan".

Last month, a Chinese submarine docked at a port in Malaysia's Sabah state, which lies on the South China Sea, only the second confirmed visit of a Chinese submarine to a foreign port, according to state media.

The submarine had come from supporting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, where China has been learning valuable lessons about overseas naval operations since 2008.

Chinese warships have also been calling at ports in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, unnerving regional rival India.

"It's power projection," said a Beijing-based Western diplomat, of China's navy.

 

[Deino]

PLEASE not another PLAN thread !

 

[samsara]

The PLA Navy is likely to secure significant new funding in China's upcoming defense budget as Beijing seeks to check U.S. dominance of the high seas and step up its own projection of power around the globe.

China's navy has been taking an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and new Chinese warships popping up in far-flung places.

Now, with President Donald Trump promising a U.S. shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.

"It's opportunity in crisis," said a Beijing-based Asian diplomat, of China's recent naval moves. "China fears Trump will turn on them eventually as he's so unpredictable and it's getting ready."

Beijing does not give a breakdown for how much it spends on the navy, and the overall official defense spending figures it gives - 954.35 billion yuan ($139 billion) for 2016 - likely understates its investment, according to diplomats.

China unveils the defense budget for this year at next month's annual meeting of parliament, a closely watched figure around the region and in Washington, for clues to China's intentions.

China surprised last year with its lowest increase in six years, 7.6 percent, the first single-digit rise since 2010, following a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit jumps.

"Certainly, the PLA Navy has really been the beneficiary of a lot of this new spending in the past 15 years," said Richard Bitzinger, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Military Transformations Programme at the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"We don't how much they spend on the navy, but simply extrapolating from the quantity and the quality of things that are coming out of their shipyards, it's pretty amazing."

RAPID DEVELOPMENT

The Chinese navy, once generally limited to coastal operations, has developed rapidly under President Xi Jinping's ambitious military modernization.

It commissioned 18 ships in 2016, including missile destroyers, corvettes and guided missile frigates, according to state media.

Barely a week goes by without an announcement of some new piece of equipment, including an electronic reconnaissance ship put into service in January.

Still, the PLA Navy significantly lags the United States, which operates 10 aircraft carriers to China's one, the Soviet-era Liaoning.

Xu Guangyu, a retired major general in the People's Liberation Army now senior adviser to the government-run China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said China was keenly aware of the U.S. ability to project power at sea.

"It's like a marathon and we're falling behind. We need to step on the gas," Xu said.

Trump has vowed to increase the U.S. Navy to 350 ships from the current 290 as part of "one of the "greatest military buildups in American history", a move aides say is needed to counter China's rise as a military power.

"We’ve known this is a 15-20 year project and every year they get closer to being a blue-water navy with global aspirations," said a U.S. administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"What you have seen this last year and what I think you will see with the new budget is that they are moving ahead with the short-term goal of being the premier naval force in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, with the mid-term goal, of extending all the way to the Indian Ocean."

In January, China appointed new navy chief, Shen Jinlong, to lead that push.

Shen has enjoyed a meteoric rise and is close to Xi, diplomatic and leadership sources say.

"The navy has gotten very lucky with Shen," said a Chinese official close to the military, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Now they know for certain their support goes all the way to the top."

Recent PLA Navy missions have included visits to Gulf states, where the United States has traditionally protected sea lanes, and to the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, in what the state-run website StrongChina called Shen's "first show of force against the United States, Japan and Taiwan".

Last month, a Chinese submarine docked at a port in Malaysia's Sabah state, which lies on the South China Sea, only the second confirmed visit of a Chinese submarine to a foreign port, according to state media.

The submarine had come from supporting anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, where China has been learning valuable lessons about overseas naval operations since 2008.

Chinese warships have also been calling at ports in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, unnerving regional rival India.

"It's power projection," said a Beijing-based Western diplomat, of China's navy.

From the Rothschild's controlled London-based news arm REUTERS, a division of THOMSON REUTERS.

WORLD NEWS | Sat Feb 25, 2017 | 8:04pm EST
Wary of Trump unpredictability, China ramps up naval abilities

By Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina | BEIJING

[CONTENT as posted above] @Get Ya Wig Split - Please mention the source of your article in future.

(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom and Adrees Ali in WASHINGTON; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-defence-navy-idUSKBN16500P

~~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow I think about the scenario that "the establishment" may possibly be attempting to pace China for the arm race with the intention to break its coffer, to break its backbone... something that they may also be doing against Russia. China must proceed smartly to learn from the history (Soviet Union), to build "effectively" and to spend wisely. How to advance militarily without break the economy.

 

[samsara]

China's navy budget based on security needs: experts

2017-02-28 Global Times Editor: Li Yan

China's global footprint expands PLA mission

The increase in China's military expenditure, especially for the navy, is aimed at safeguarding the country's fast expanding overseas interests and is a response to the unstable security situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese experts said.

A recent Reuters report claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictability is an opportunity for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to ramp up its military capabilities. It claimed that China's military expenditure in 2016 reached more than $100 billion, almost double the amount of Japan and South Korea combined.

"It's opportunity in crisis," a Beijing-based Asian diplomat told Reuters of China's recent naval moves. "China fears Trump will turn on them eventually as he's so unpredictable and it's getting ready."

But Chu Yin, associate professor at the University of International Relations, said, "China's huge input on the military, especially on the navy, began a long time ago."

China's rapid military development is a recurrent trend with the country's rising economic power, and is entirely legitimate and reasonable, Chu said. "It doesn't need Trump as an excuse."

With an expansion in China's global footprint, the mission for the Chinese military has changed though the fundamental policy on national defense hasn't changed. "How can China protect millions of overseas Chinese and huge amounts of overseas investment and projects worth billions of U.S. dollars without a powerful navy?" Chu asked.

According to data from the China National Tourism Administration, since 2015, Chinese citizens made more than 120 million overseas trips annually.

The Chinese government and the PLA are responsible for protecting these people, so they have to develop the capability to match this situation, Chu said.

The global security situation has worsened in recent years, and China has conducted several successful evacuation missions for Chinese nationals, such as in Libya and Yemen, and such missions require the PLA navy to have reliable capability on a global scale, Chu added.

Additionally, China is currently the world's largest trading nation, so the country is heavily reliant on free trade, and the world also needs to trade with China, Chu said.

China National Radio reported on January 12 that China's overseas investment in 2016 has reached $221 billion, surging 246 percent compared with 2015.

"So the Chinese navy has to gain enough ability to protect those key trade routes around the globe," Chu said.

Continuing development

President Xi Jinping has set higher standards for the PLA, and "honestly, the Chinese military hasn't met some of those standards yet, and that's why we have military reform and the budget for national defense will continue to rise," said Song Zhongping, a military expert who used to serve in the Second Artillery Corps (now called the Rocket Force).

"For example, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as part of the One Belt and One Road initiative, requires a large and advanced navy, because this 'Road' covers the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean," Song said.

According to the Reuters report, "The PLA navy is likely to secure significant new funding in China's upcoming defense budget as China seeks to check U.S. dominance of the high seas and step up its own projection of power around the globe."

Checking U.S. dominance of the high seas is not China's goal, and China's motivation to build a powerful navy is clear and reasonable, and that is to protect our own interests, Song stressed.

"We can't expect U.S. aircraft carriers to protect these huge interests for us," he added.

Yin Zhuo, a rear admiral and a senior researcher at the PLA Navy Equipment Research Center, told China Central Television that in order to protect China's sovereignty and national interests, the PLA navy at least needs five to six aircraft-carriers to maintain presence in specific regions.

In addition, an anonymous PLA air force officer told the Global Times, "Due to the U.S.' 'Pivot to Asia' strategy since the Obama era, the possibility of military conflict is increasing in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Straits, and East and South China seas, so there is no reason for us not to increase the defense budget."

http://www.ecns.cn/military/2017/02-28/247092.shtml

 

[ahojunk]

Destroyer Yichang conducts live ammunition training
2017-02-27 13:47 | China Military Online | Editor:Xu Shanshan

The guided-missile frigate Yichang (Hull 564) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the North China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy fires its close-in weapons system during a live ammunition training exercise at an undisclosed sea area of the Yellow Sea from February 22 to 23, 2017. (81.cn/ Zhang Yan, Gong Xun)

Firing its close-in weapons system during a live ammunition training exercise.

Firing its main-gun during a live ammunition training exercise.

Firing anti-submarine missiles at simulated maritime targets.

Firing anti-submarine missiles at simulated maritime targets.

A sailor watches as his teammate mans a machine gun.

 

[faithfulguy]

Destroyer Yichang conducts live ammunition training
2017-02-27 13:47 | China Military Online | Editor:Xu Shanshan

View attachment 380698

The guided-missile frigate Yichang (Hull 564) attached to a destroyer flotilla with the North China Sea Fleet under the PLA Navy fires its close-in weapons system during a live ammunition training exercise at an undisclosed sea area of the Yellow Sea from February 22 to 23, 2017. (81.cn/ Zhang Yan, Gong Xun)

View attachment 380699
Firing its close-in weapons system during a live ammunition training exercise.

View attachment 380700
Firing its main-gun during a live ammunition training exercise.

View attachment 380701
Firing anti-submarine missiles at simulated maritime targets.

View attachment 380702
Firing anti-submarine missiles at simulated maritime targets.

View attachment 380703
A sailor watches as his teammate mans a machine gun.

How do I close this account? Can you do it for me?

 

[cirr]

FFG 518 “Yiwu”

 

[cnleio]

PLAN need more Marine Corps, some PLA Army will join Navy Marines.

 

[lcloo]

Looks like PLAN Marine brigades are expanding in force, which mean we will soon see more large amphibious warfare ships like LHA in various shipyards.

 

[monitor]

Shifting to blue water doctrine, PLAN cutting no. of Type 22 missile boats in service. Photo appears to show large number dry docked [URL='https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash']#China

[/URL]
Ian Keddie @IanJKeddie

Shifting to blue water doctrine, PLAN cutting no. of Type 22 missile boats in service. Photo appears to show large number dry docked #China

2:39 AM - 7 Mar 2017

• 
  
• 21 21 Retweets
• 15

 

[Arthur]

Shifting to blue water doctrine, PLAN cutting no. of Type 22 missile boats in service. Photo appears to show large number dry docked #China



Ian Keddie @IanJKeddie

Shifting to blue water doctrine, PLAN cutting no. of Type 22 missile boats in service. Photo appears to show large number dry docked #China

2:39 AM - 7 Mar 2017

• 
  
• 21 21 Retweets
• 15

Are these available for transfer to foreign navies?

 

[GS Zhou]

Are these available for transfer to foreign navies?

I personally don't see any constraints to export the 022 boats.

However, Type 022 Boat needs an integrated network to support its combat operation, from satellite to AWACS plane, to datalink, etc. If you don't have these supporting systems, the small 022 boat is useless. But if you have, you definitely would prefer larger ships.