Title: "P-18: India's Heart Is Itchy, Is It Reliable to Build a "Super Ship"?".》
Recently, news came from the Indian Navy that they plan to build a huge P-18 destroyer, boasting to surpass China's 055. This ambitious move has raised concerns about India's arms race. Behind the scenes, however, lies a more fundamental question: can India really surpass the mighty China by building ships?What should we make of this situation?
India has always had a knot in the heart of competing with China. Whether it is in the construction of aircraft carriers, or now in the field of China's 055 destroyers, India always wants to play with China. Historically, India became the first country in Asia to have a modern aircraft carrier after World War II, but in this era of rampant aircraft carriers, can India continue to show its strength with the number of ships?
The P-18 destroyer has been touted by India, claiming that it has the same full load displacement as China's 055, 32 more launchers than the 055, and up to 144 missile silos. The ppt parameter looks quite impressive, but is this India's strength or fantasy?Perhaps, we should pay more attention to whether the country has once again fallen into the trap of piling up money.
From a technical point of view, the design of the P-18 seems to be quite good, and the concept map shows that it has a deep design with India, and the radar and fire control radar are cleverly hidden in the mast, which looks quite technological. However, in reality, how much is the gap between the surface gloss of technology and the actual performance?
India also flaunts two laser cannons on the P-18, which it claims can be used to intercept a variety of threats. However, is this really a viable technology?After all, even a large country like the United States struggles with the difficult problem of overcoming laser technology. Is India really capable of doing this?
What is even more questionable is India's past experience in building Calcutta-class destroyers. At that time, India claimed that it was a "domestic" ship, but in fact, it used technology and components from Israel, France, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries. Is this yet another self-deception of the Indian manufacturing industry?
Overall, the P-18 destroyer seems to be more of a spiritual sustenance for the Indian Navy. While India still looks strong in terms of ship tonnage, does that really hide the reality that it is really just a pile of "broken copper"?
Perhaps, India needs to face up to not only the problem of ship building, but also how to find its real advantage in the arms race. It will take time to see if India can truly catch up at this challenging time. But the current ostentation and exaggerated propaganda may only be an illusory bubble, which will eventually burst in the face of actual tests.
However, India's flaunting of the P-18 destroyer does not seem to have been realistically considered. In the face of such a formidable warship as the Chinese 055, it is still unknown whether India will be able to reach the level it claims to be in terms of technology and practical operation. In particular, it remains to be seen whether India will be able to overcome various difficulties in key technologies such as dual-band active phased array radar.
Looking back at India's past history of building ships, we find that they once relied on the cooperation of multinational technologies. Whether the propaganda of the P-18 is only to meet the expectations of the domestic people and whether it can truly achieve independent research and development is a serious question. Perhaps, India needs to face its reality with more humility than to disguise its weakness by exaggerating propaganda.
To sum up, whether India's P-18 destroyer program, which seems ambitious, can actually become a new pillar of the Indian Navy will need to be verified by time. In an arms race, overly pompous propaganda may only serve to India's own peril. Perhaps, India should be more pragmatic in facing its own strength and find a development path that is truly suitable for itself.
Ultimately, whether or not the P-18 will be able to surpass China's 055, we should look at this issue rationally. Whether India can achieve a military balance with China through shipbuilding remains a challenging goal. Whatever the outcome, however, this topic undoubtedly provides an opportunity for us to think deeply about the arms race, national strength, and independent development. Perhaps, we should pay more attention not only to the number and parameters of ships, but also to the real strength of the countries behind them in the field of military industry.