motif
07/21/2012, 19:37:11
Author Profile | Edit
|
The first 052C enter service around 2004 or 2005. The first ship of the second batch was seen in 2010, so they waited around 5 or 6 years. Before that time, the main SAM system used in PLAN was the HQ-7, that was quite a big leap from the point defence HQ-7 to the area defence HQ-9. Although HQ-16 was also used around the same time in 054A, there was new 054A laid down almost every year after the first ship, so even though HQ-16 was a new missile using new hot launch VLS system, the PLAN was quite confident in it. My guess is PLAN should have about the same level of confidence with the cold launch VLS, the bigger leap to PLAN was the use of the four APAR radar. I think they built the two 051C using Rif as a plan B or contingency plan in case 052C encounter serious problem. It probably took 5 to 6 years for the PLAN to fix any problem with the APAR/VLS to their satisfaction until 2010 when they started to mass produce the 051C class. So if APAR was the main problem, any hardware fix would not be seen externally, and software fix naturally cannot be seen.
|
