With the upgrading of China's naval equipment, some old warships such as Type 053 frigates have become more eye-catching. Especially in 2021,"Mianyang"After the completion of the modernization of the ship, this gap between the old and the new is even more pronounced.
People usually think that the modification is to make the best equipment and performance greatly improved, but this modification is unusual.
The Type 053H3 "Mianyang" ship, which was built in an improved manner, has abolished the reloading mechanism of anti-aircraft missiles, and its anti-submarine and alert combat capabilities have not been significantly improved. This one costs only 5Why did the 500 million yuan "last Type 053H3" ship choose such a modification?
What is the future direction of the 053H3 type?
The Type 053 frigate is a product of the Chinese Navy's "Build for Repair" program launched in the 70s, which aims to replace the aging British-American-built frigates confiscated from the Kuomintang Navy.
As China's first self-developed and built anti-aircraft missile frigate, the emergence of the Type 053K frigate marks an important breakthrough in the Chinese Navy's advanced equipment.
Although the ship no longer uses the human-loaded Hongqi-7 anti-aircraft missile launcher, this does not affect the important place it occupies in history.
The 053K Eagle Pond is a normal deck ship type with a displacement of 1674 tons and a hull length of 1035 meters, width 108 meters. The maximum speed can reach 28 knots, and the range can reach 4,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.
The ship's establishment has a total of 198 members, including two Type 79 100mm twin naval guns and a Hongqi-61 ship-to-air missile system. In addition, the ship is also equipped with four Type 76 double-barreled 37 mm automatic naval guns and two Type 65 anti-submarine rocket deep bomb launchers to achieve the dual functions of fire strike and short-range air defense.
The lead ship of the Type 053K Yingtan ship "Yingtan" bravely participated in the "314 Naval Battle" in 1988, showing its strong combat effectiveness with the loaded Hongqi-61 ship-to-air missiles and Type 79 100mm naval gun firepower.
Today, the "Yingtan" ship has been honorably decommissioned and is preserved in the Qingdao Naval Museum, becoming a witness to history. On this basis, the Navy has improved and upgraded the Type 053K frigate and developed a more advanced Type 053H frigate.
At the end of the 20th century, China developed a fully enclosed missile frigate called Type 053H3. The ship is based on the 053H2G model, which has excellent offensive and defensive performance and cost-effectiveness.
It is rumored that the ship's lead ship, the 597, was originally planned to be built for the Pakistan Navy, but due to the failure to reach a deal, it finally joined the East China Sea Fleet in 1998 and was renamed the "Jiaxing" ship with the ship number 521.
This is an important step for Type 053H1 frigates into the new century.
As the predecessor of the Type 053H3 frigate, the Type 053H2G frigate has an overall service life of more than 20 years, but it still maintains a good operational condition and is a dynamic naval equipment.
Its first-class bridge adopts a fully enclosed design, with three defense functions, and also provides a comfortable working environment, whether in the North Sea or the South China Sea, it can adapt to various combat environments.
Type 053H3 frigates are very different in design from the previous 053 series. It has a fuller hull structure, wider waterline and tail width, a pronounced chamfered line in the bow, and a hull length to width ratio of 82. Comparable to the American Burke class.
This design not only improves the ship's anti-pitch ability and tail buoyancy, but also improves the seaworthiness and utilization rate of the ship's space, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent improvement of the 053H3.
The Type 053H3 frigate also adopts a chord-edge arc transition design, so that its radar reflection area is only a 500-ton fishing boat, with good stealth performance.
At the same time, it is also equipped with an automatic degaussing system and an air curtain noise reduction system, which effectively controls the underwater voiceprint and magnetic field strength of the ship. In terms of **, the biggest change of the Type 053H3 is the adoption of the new Haihongqi-7 anti-aircraft missile launcher, which replaces the old and bulky Hongqi-61 anti-aircraft missile.
In addition, it is also equipped with a spare ammunition depot with 8 missiles, which can be quickly reloaded by manpower, so that the 053H3 type has reached the international mainstream level in the performance of short-range air defense systems.
The anti-ship and anti-submarine capabilities of Type 053H3 frigates have been improved. It uses the YJ-83 anti-ship missile, which has a longer range, and if you choose the YJ-83K projectile, the range can even reach more than 200 kilometers.
At the same time, a hangar and a first-class platform are also set up at the stern of the ship, which can carry the Z-9 anti-submarine aircraft, which further improves the anti-submarine capability. In terms of firepower, the classic twin Type 79 100mm naval gun has been replaced by the more compact Type 79A 100mm naval gun, which not only improves the ship's concealment, but also enhances its attack power.
Although the Type 053H3 frigate adopts the latest technology and equipment, its ** also ** follows **, and the cost of the later model has been as high as 5500 million RMB.
The course of the development of the Type 053 series frigates of the Chinese Navy can be called figuratively"Take small steps and run briskly"。Small steps represent that the navy can gradually improve in training and technology, and it is easy to form combat effectiveness, while fast running means that the system is constantly updated, and new equipment is actively developed, while maintaining good cooperation between the best systems at all levels.
Therefore, the refinement of the 053H3 frigate by the Navy of the New Century is not a rash move, but a well-thought-out operation that fully meets the needs of the Navy.
In the case of the "Mianyang" ship, the 053H3 frigate has already completed the upgrade. It replaced the original Hongqi-7 anti-aircraft missile with a more effective Hongqi-10 short-range anti-aircraft missile, and although it could not be manually loaded, the overall defense capability made a qualitative leap.
In addition, the original 4 37-mm double-barreled anti-aircraft guns have been replaced by 2 H PJ13-30 mm close-in defense guns, which can effectively hit low-altitude and high-speed targets at a distance of 1500-2000 meters.
The upgrade of the shipboard electronic equipment of the Hongqi-10 process anti-aircraft missile can be described as extremely accurate. The old fire control radars have been replaced by Type 344 and Type 347 fire control radars, and two Type 726-4 multifunctional jamming missile launchers have been added.
In addition, the upgrade of the data link and command and combat system cannot be ignored. These targeted improvements reflect the pragmatic principles of the Navy's refit, which are designed to further enhance self-defense capabilities when patrolling near the sea.
Over the past 30 years, with the advent of Type 052D and Type 055 missile destroyers, the needs of air defense support for Type 053H3 frigates have ceased to be important.
Due to the fact that under the umbrella of regional air defense of Type 052D and Type 055 missile destroyers, the role of Type 053H3 frigates appears to be less and less. In addition, Type 053H3 frigates have been surpassed by Type 054 frigates in terms of anti-submarine and patrol performance, which has led to an awkward position for them.
Therefore, it is only a matter of time before the Type 053H3 frigates take a back seat.
The Type 054 frigate is better than the Type 053, and this cannot be changed. So, what is the future of Type 053H3? In general, in the Chinese Navy, Type 053H3 has lost its importance.
However, for those third world countries that lack naval power, the Type 053H3 frigate is a very practical and economical combat tool that can effectively defend maritime security.
Type 053H3 frigates have always been favored by third world countries. For example, in 2019, the Bangladesh Navy ordered a batch of Type 053H3 frigates from China.
Compared with the Type 054 frigates, which are higher and more effective in combat, the Type 053 frigates and Type 056 frigates are more practical and economical, and meet the armament needs of these countries.
Is it possible to hand over the Type 053H3 frigate to the domestic coast guard? From my point of view, it seems unlikely. After all, the coast guard ships next door include the 9,300-ton Shikishima and Akitsuzu, which may be difficult to compete with by the smaller-tonnage Type 053 frigates.
The transformation process of the Mianyang has witnessed the arduous road of the Chinese Navy from the near sea to the open sea. Today, although a handful of Type 053H3 ships are still in service, they have quietly retreated into the background, silently watching the emergence of a new generation of excellent ships.