When China Shipbuilding Group participated in the 14th Zhuhai Air Show, it publicly displayed the 7,000-ton foreign trade version of the Type 052DE air defense destroyer, and it was rumored that Algeria in North Africa will purchase 6 ships, and Saudi Arabia, a local tyrant in the Middle East, will purchase 12 ships.
Two full years have passed since the end of the 14th Zhuhai Airshow from November 8 to 13, 2022, and the purchase of Type 052DE destroyers by Algeria and Saudi Arabia is still at the stage of online rumors, and these two countries have not signed an agreement with China State Shipbuilding Group to purchase Type 052DE destroyers.
The Type 052DE destroyer is the foreign trade version of the Type 052D destroyer of the Chinese Navy, which is equipped with a 4-sided array of Type 346A "Sea Star" active phased array radar, 64 units of 850 mm diameter VLS device, with hot and cold vertical launch performance, is the world's largest and most advanced shipborne vertical launch system.
It can launch the YJ-18 anti-ship missile, the Haihongqi-9 anti-aircraft missile, the Yu-8 anti-submarine missile, and the Changjian-10 land-attack cruise missile. The ship also has 1 130mm single-barreled naval gun, 1 1130-tube 30mm close-in defense gun, 1 24-mounted Hongqi-10 anti-aircraft missile launcher, 2 3-mounted 324mm torpedo tubes, 4 18-mounted 122mm rocket launchers and 1 Z-9C anti-submarine *** and other shipborne systems.
This makes the Type 052DE destroyer have strong anti-ship, air defense, anti-submarine, land attack and other combat capabilities, and its comprehensive combat power is second only to the Type 055 10,000-ton drive and the "Ali Burke" class destroyer with an average displacement of 9,000 tons, and is in an absolute leading position in the world's active air defense destroyers.
If Algeria and Saudi Arabia procure and equip 6 and 12 Type 052DE air defense destroyers respectively, it means that these two countries will be able to move sideways in North African waters and Arabian waters, where no other country's navy has a large air defense destroyer lineup of this size, except for the old US navy.
Algeria and Saudi Arabia are interested in purchasing six and 12 7,000-ton Type 052de destroyers, and they will encounter overt and covert pressure from all sides. The procurement and equipping of large air defense destroyers is a major global munitions procurement case, and many eyes are watching its dynamics.
Even if Saudi Arabia and Algeria have plans to purchase and equip Type 052DE air defense destroyers, I am afraid that it will not be achieved overnight, and it will have to be delayed for a long time, and it will be restricted in many aspects, especially Saudi Arabia, which is located in the Middle East, obviously feels the tremendous pressure from the North American powers on the purchase of Type 052DE destroyers.
This is also the main reason why the "boots" of Algeria and Saudi Arabia on the purchase of Type 052DE air defense destroyers have not fallen so far. Once the Type 052DE destroyers are procured and equipped, it will change the balance of naval military power in North Africa and the Middle East.
Behind the procurement and equipment of large main combat ships is an extremely complex and delicate geopolitical environment game involving major powers, and some countries will do everything possible to prevent Saudi Arabia and Algeria from purchasing powerful Type 052DE air defense destroyers.
In the context of the export of the Type 052DE air defense destroyer is still not "open", the China Shipbuilding Group has released a version of the foreign trade frigate, the shape and structure of the hull and the shipboard ** system, which can be described as the same as the Type 052DE destroyer.
It can be regarded as a "shrunken version" of the Type 052DE destroyer, with a full load displacement of 7,000 tons reduced to 5,000 tons for this frigate. However, it still retains 64 units of VLS installation, has powerful anti-ship, air defense, anti-submarine, land attack and other combat capabilities, and its comprehensive combat power is close to that of Type 052DE air defense destroyers.
Judging from the CG renderings of this foreign trade version of the frigate published on the Chinese network by the author of the signature "Big Bag CG", compared with the foreign trade version of the Type 052DE, the length and width of the ship have been reduced, and all the "fly swatter" meter wave anti-** target radar on the original Type 052DE destroyer has been cancelled.
CSTC, a military trade company under China Shipbuilding Group, exhibited the "large frigate" at the International Defense Exhibition, which is a rare air defense frigate in the world that focuses on anti-air defense operations and has both anti-ship, land attack and anti-submarine operations, reflecting the high level of China's shipbuilding industry in the development of frigate-level surface ships.
The 64-unit 850-mm large vertical hair makes the comprehensive combat performance of this 5,000-ton foreign trade frigate even surpass the strongest large air defense destroyer in Europe, that is, the Type 45 air defense destroyer equipped with 48 units of vertical hair device and a full load displacement of more than 7,300 tons equipped by the British Royal Navy.
The 5,000-ton foreign trade frigate will be pushed to the international arms market, including the Middle East and North Africa, and its sensitivity will be significantly lower than that of the 7,000-ton Type 052DE destroyer. Readers who pay attention to this "large frigate" may wish to wait and see.