[The Epoch Times, July 4, 2022]In June, Chinese and Russian warships were dispatched on a large scale one after another, and their detours around the Japanese archipelago attracted great attention from the outside world. The Russian Pacific Fleet was dispatched first, along with military aircraft; the Chinese fleet followed closely, with other warships and bombers passing through the Miyako Strait. The Chinese warships have frequently threatened Japan, but they have once again exposed their weaknesses.
The embarrassment of the CCP supply ship outside the first island chain
On June 1, a CCP destroyer 052D, a frigate 053H, a landing ship 071 and a supply ship 903A passed through the strait between Amami Oshima and Yokote Island in Japan.
On June 12, a CCP destroyer 055, a destroyer 052D, an intelligence collection ship, and a supply ship crossed the Tsushima Strait; after that, the intelligence collection ship and the supply ship crossed the Tsugaru Strait; the two destroyers detoured In northern Japan, it detoured to the main island of Japan, re-turned with the intelligence collection ship and the supply ship, crossed the waters of the Izu Islands in Japan, and returned to the East China Sea from the Miyako Strait on June 29.
From June 22nd to 24th, two 052D destroyers and two 054A frigates of the Chinese Communist Party traveled back and forth from the Miyako Strait. On June 23, three Chinese H-6 bombers crossed the Miyako Strait. From June 21st to 24th, a Chinese destroyer 052D made a round trip from the strait between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Taiwan.
It can be seen that the Chinese warships cross the first island chain. If there is no support from the supply ships, at least because of the limited fuel they carry, they will have to return in 3-4 days, which will be very embarrassing in actual combat. No matter whether the Chinese warships try to attack Taiwan or Japan, it is difficult to complete the relevant tasks in such a short combat cycle. If there is an accident, the Chinese warships may face the situation of being unable to return and forced to drift freely at sea.
Theoretically, the CCP’s supply ships can continue to support back and forth, but whether or not there are warships escorted, it is difficult to safely pass through the various straits of the first island chain.
Four Chinese warships bypassed Japan, and two destroyers left the intelligence and supply ships and headed to northern Japan on their own; the intelligence and supply ships passed through the narrow Tsugaru Strait on their own without the escort of battleships. If the CCP goes to war against Japan, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces cannot let go of the CCP’s supply ships and intelligence ships. Such drills are completely divorced from actual combat and are more of a political connotation.
During the same period, two 052D destroyers and two 054A frigates of the CCP entered the Pacific Ocean from the Miyako Strait, but because there were no supply ships accompanying them, they returned the same way two days later. Another 052D destroyer appeared between Japan’s Yonaguni Island and Taiwan, and returned the same way three days later. These warships displayed the dual objective of threatening Japan and Taiwan, but could only stay outside the first island chain for 2-3 days.
In theory, without the support of supply ships, the Chinese warships can alternately travel to and from the first island chain in a revolving manner. The CCP has six 10,000-ton Type 055 destroyers in active service, three each in the North Sea and South China Sea Fleet; 25 7,500-ton Type 052D destroyers are in active service, eight in the North Sea Fleet, eight in the East China Sea Fleet, and nine in the South China Sea Fleet; 4,500-ton Type 054A frigates are in active service with 31 There are 9 ships in the North Sea Fleet, 12 ships in the East China Sea Fleet, and 10 ships in the South China Sea Fleet.
If the destroyers of the North Sea Fleet and the East China Sea Fleet alternate and attack back and forth, at most one Type 055 destroyer, five Type 052D destroyers, and seven Type 054A frigates can be maintained outside the first island chain. With such a fleet size, whether it is against the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force or the U.S. Seventh Fleet, they are at a clear disadvantage and may not be able to support landings in the Taiwan Strait.
The South China Sea Fleet can go north to support, but the journey is longer and the supply problem is even greater. It is impossible to break through the blockade of the Bashi Strait, and it is more likely to be annihilated in the South China Sea. If the CCP’s aircraft carrier is dispatched, it will be even more stretched if the destroyer is required to escort the aircraft carrier.
Once a war begins, no matter the CCP’s aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, supply ships, and intelligence ships can safely enter or leave the first island chain, the shore-based anti-ship missiles of the United States, Japan, and Taiwan can block various straits at any time, and the CCP’s ships cannot effectively respond to air strikes. and submarine attack.
The CCP is willing to be used by Russia
The Chinese fleet circumnavigates Japan, basically imitating the practice of the Russian Pacific Fleet.
On June 7, Russia dispatched four military aircraft in the Sea of Japan, and the Pacific Fleet also dispatched, including two 7,500-ton Udaloy class destroyers and one 2,500-ton Gremyashchiy-class frigate, 2,000 tons There are three Steregushchiy class frigates and one observation support ship. These warships arrived in the eastern waters of Japan on June 10, circled the Japanese archipelago, and returned to the Sea of Japan via the Tsushima Strait on June 21. Meanwhile, a Russian intelligence-gathering ship crossed the Tsugaru Strait before returning from northern Japan.
On June 17, six missile speedboats, supply ships, and hospital ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet appeared in the Soya Strait in northern Japan, and should return after simulating support for the large fleet; however, the supply ships and hospital ships did not follow the large fleet to circumnavigate Japan. Knowing that there is no survivability, additional battleships must be sent to escort.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet dispatched more than half its surface combatants, but the 12,000-ton Slava Class cruiser Varyag was absent. The first ship of the Glory-class cruiser, the Moscow, was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles in the Black Sea on April 13. There are two remaining ships of the same class, one in the Pacific Fleet and one in the North Sea Fleet. The Varyag, the only 10,000-ton surface warship in the Pacific Fleet, was transferred from the Pacific to the Mediterranean in May.
The strength of the Russian Pacific Fleet is limited, and the largest capital ship has been transferred away. This time, the dispatch is more to show that the offense is the defense to prevent the Far East from restarting the war. The Kremlin should have succeeded in persuading the Chinese leaders to have the Chinese fleet imitate the Russian fleet to circumnavigate Japan, showing military support for Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The CCP has also superfluous, and has other actions in the Miyako Strait.
In May, the CCP’s Liaoning aircraft carrier fleet appeared in the waters off Okinawa and eastern Taiwan. CCP bombers and Russian bombers jointly operated to send a threat signal directly to U.S. President Joe Biden, who was visiting Asia. In June, the CCP did not hesitate to be used again by Russia to show a confrontational posture with the United States and the U.S.-Japan alliance.
The Russian warship was tragically hit by shore-based anti-ship missiles in the Black Sea, losing a 10,000-ton cruiser, a new frigate and two supply ships, and a landing ship was sunk in the port. Russian warships exposed deficiencies in missile interception capabilities; Chinese ships face the same dilemma.
Chinese destroyers imitate Russia’s detours
The CCP’s Liaoning aircraft carrier could not be dispatched continuously. Shandong was maintained at the shipyard. The 003 aircraft carrier had just been launched. The CCP had no aircraft carrier that could be deployed, so it could only send destroyers to the Japanese waters. The CCP’s 055 and 052D destroyers are also used to escort aircraft carriers, and it is actually difficult to even escort themselves, so Type 054 frigates are often dispatched.
The CCP was the first to imitate the Type 56 destroyers of the former Soviet Union in the 1950s and built 17 Type 051 destroyers of 3,600 tons, all of which have been retired. Subsequently, the CCP tried to develop the Type 051B destroyer, but only one was trial-produced. After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, China and Russia began to improve relations. The CCP began to trial-produce the Type 051C destroyer, which was equipped with Russian-made radar and vertical launch system, and only two were trial-produced.
The Type 052 destroyer redeveloped by the CCP has a displacement of about 4,800 tons and uses a Ukrainian engine. In addition to being equipped with eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, the anti-aircraft missile has only one set of Haihongqi-7 short-range missiles, imitating the Sidewinder imported from France. The missile, obviously unable to meet the standard, has only been trial-produced.
Around 2000, the CCP purchased four modern-class destroyers from Russia, and began to imitate the development of the Type 052B destroyer. The displacement was increased to 6,200 tons, the Ukrainian engine was still used, and the anti-aircraft missile was changed to the former Soviet Buk anti-aircraft missile. After the trial production of two 052B ships, there was no mass production, and it was transferred to the trial production of 052C.
The displacement of the 052C destroyer increased to 7,000 tons, and the air defense missile was changed to the so-called self-developed Haihongqi-9, which actually borrowed the S-300 air defense missile purchased from Russia; however, the tonnage of the CCP’s warships is limited, and the vertical launch system is not mature enough. Six-unit Haihongqi-9 anti-aircraft missile loaded with eight units. In 2004, the 052C entered service, and the upper part has begun to imitate the US Aegis ship, but it was suspended again after the construction of six ships.
So far, the Chinese destroyer’s main imitation of the former Soviet Union/Russia has basically ended, but air defense missiles and anti-ship missiles are still derived from Russian technology; the lack of air defense and anti-missile capabilities of Russian warships has been inherited by Chinese warships; Teach anti-submarine techniques.
052DType destroyer attempts to fully imitate the US Aegis ship
In 2014, the CCP’s Type 052D destroyer entered service. It has a shape more like the US Aegis ship, but has a slightly smaller displacement of 7,500 tons; the vertical launch system has been increased to 64 units, but the gap with the 90-96 units of the US Burke-class destroyer still larger. The vertical launch system of 052D began to be equipped with YJ-18 anti-ship missiles, continued to be equipped with Haihongqi-9 air defense missiles, anti-submarine rockets, and later Changjian-10 ground attack missiles.
In order to make up for the lack of air defense capabilities, the 052D has separately installed a set of 24 Lianhai Hongqi-10 short-range air defense systems, imitating the U.S. military’s Haigongyang air defense missile system, with a maximum range of 9 kilometers. The function of this system is similar to that of the close-range phalanx fast artillery, which can only be used for the final stage of defense. The main air defense missile of the 052D is still the Haihongqi-9 imitating the S-300, similar to the air defense system of the Russian warship.
In actual combat, the air defense system of the Russian warship did not work and was directly sunk by anti-ship missiles. Similar systems for Chinese warships are equally embarrassing, but the 052D is the main destroyer of the Chinese Navy, with 25 in active service and 12 will continue to be built.
The standard type 6, standard type 3, standard type 2 and sea sparrow air defense missiles equipped by the US Aegis ship constitute a long-, medium- and short-range defense system at all levels, which the Chinese warships cannot yet compare. The 052D destroyer is also known to be equipped with advanced radar and combat systems, but compared with the US radar and the Aegis combat system, it has not been verified in actual combat.
The 052D destroyer has a limited tonnage, and the CCP has built an enlarged version of the 055 destroyer, the tonnage has been increased to more than 12,000 tons, and the vertical launch unit has been increased to 112, but the air defense system is roughly the same. The sinking of the Russian 12,000-ton cruiser Moskva basically heralded the fate of the Type 055 destroyer. 055 is currently in service with six ships, two are under construction, and another eight are planned.
Regardless of the Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers, their defense capabilities are weak when facing shore-based, air-launched, ship-launched and submarine-launched anti-ship missiles. During the process of crossing the first island chain, or after arriving outside the first island chain, The risk of being hit by anti-ship missiles is enormous.
The CCP’s H-6 bomber can only cross the Miyako Strait alone, without fighter escort, which means that the CCP’s warships will not receive air support from the J-16. Before approaching the first island chain, they may encounter F-35, F -16, F/A-18, B-1B, B-52 air strikes, anti-ship missiles or torpedoes launched by American and Japanese submarines, Chinese ships are even more unable to guard against.
Helicopter parking decks are reserved at the rear of the Chinese warships, but when the Chinese warships were dispatched on a large scale in June, only one Type 054A frigate was seen carrying a helicopter, and no other warships were seen carrying a helicopter. The Chinese navy version of the helicopter has just started, and the anti-submarine capability of the warship is even weaker.
Epilogue
The CCP’s 003 aircraft carrier has just been launched, and it has begun to turn to the path of imitating the US aircraft carrier. In contrast, the Chinese destroyer abandoned the Russian model earlier and has been imitating the U.S. Aegis ship for at least ten years, but the gap between the air defense system, radar and combat system is large. The CCP has always been good at boasting, but it only dares to claim that the large warships are no different from the U.S. military.
The Chinese destroyer imitated the appearance of the US Aegis ship, and may have stolen some technical documents of the system, but many details have not yet reached the level of the Aegis ship, and the air defense, anti-missile and anti-submarine capabilities are obviously weak.
The Chinese destroyer bypassed Japan and was eager to try outside the first island chain, but it completely exposed the weakness of its supply and defense capabilities. The CCP has never had the experience of large-scale naval battles. If it takes a risk, the CCP’s warships are likely to be hit within the first island chain, interpreting the tragedy of another Sino-Japanese naval battle.
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Responsible editor: Gao Yi#