Speaker A
[Music] Hello, I'm Captain Bilbrey, U.S. Navy retired. I'm the deputy editor-in-chief of Proceedings magazine at the U.S. Naval Institute. Today, I'll be reading from our Combat Fleets column from the March 2023 issue. The title of the column is "Type 55 Renhai Class Cruiser: China's Premier Surface Combatant" by Eric Worton. [Music] The People's Liberation Army Navy Type 55 Renhai-class guided missile cruisers are among the most formidable warships afloat. They represent the culmination of China's efforts to build powerful long-range surface combatants to project power and escort the PLA Navy's growing fleet of aircraft carriers. The Type 55 displaces 12,000 to 13,000 tons and traces its lineage back several decades through increasingly sophisticated classes of PLA Navy warships, including the recent Luyang 3 Type 52D guided missile destroyers. Construction on the first cruiser of the class, the Nanchang, began in 2014. She was launched in 2017 and entered service in January 2020. Between 2017 and 2020, a total of eight Type 55 cruisers were built at two shipyards: Zhangnan Shipyard at Shanghai and Dalian Shipyard at Dalian. At least six were commissioned by 2022, and all eight Renhais—the Nanchang and the Zhanyang and an unnamed unit—are expected in service by 2023. Two more warships of the class are thought to be under construction, and additional units may be planned. The Type 55 is armed with 112 universal vertical launch system missile tubes, with 64 launchers fitted forward in an 8x8 configuration and 48 launchers further aft in a 6x8 configuration. The universal launchers carry a mix of HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, which have a range in excess of 100 nautical miles, and YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles with a 290 nautical mile range. Reports indicate the large vertical launch system tubes also can accommodate anti-submarine missiles or potentially land-attack cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles in the future. A single 130 millimeter gun and a 30 millimeter close-in weapon system are mounted forward of the bridge, and a 24-cell HHQ-10 point defense surface-to-air missile launcher is carried atop the helicopter hangar. Two triple 324 millimeter torpedo launchers are carried for short-range anti-submarine warfare, and the aircraft hangar is large enough to accommodate two maritime helicopters such as the Harbin Z9, based on the Eurocopter AS365, or the newer Z20F, which is similar to the Sikorsky SH-60C. The ship has multiple sensors, including the four-panel Type 346B active electronically scanned array radar, housed in an integrated mast that enhances signature reduction. The Type 55s are fitted with a hull-mounted sonar forward and can employ variable depth and towed array sonars aft. The cruiser mounts four gas turbines in combined gas and gas configuration, powering two controllable pitch propellers. This provides a top speed of 30 knots and an estimated range of 5,000 nautical miles cruising at 18 knots. The Renhai cruisers measure 591 feet long with a 66-foot beam and a 22-foot draft. They are thought to carry a complement of more than 300 personnel. Looking at the schematic, which is the first cruiser in the class, the Nanchang, starting with 0.1, that is a PJ45 130 millimeter multi-purpose gun; 0.2, forward universal VLS cells; 0.3, PJ11 30 millimeter close-in weapon system; 0.4, LJG 346B multifunctional S-band radar; 5, optronic system; 6, uptronic gunfire control system; 7, multifunctional X-band AESA radar; 8, navigational radar; 9, electronic countermeasure system; 10, electronic intelligence and communications intelligence systems; 11, laser warning receiver and uptronic jammer; 12, aft universal VLS cells; 13, triple 324 millimeter torpedo launchers; 14, 24-barrel decoy launchers; 15, 18-barrel decoy launchers; 16, HHQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missile launcher; 17, hangars for two Z20 or Z9 helicopters; and 18, variable depth towed array sonars. [Music]
