[Military & Weapons Subsection] Author: Lele
On April 12, the WeChat official account of the South Sea Fleet released a message to collect posters for the Navy's celebration activities, where the image of the second ship of the Type 054B unexpectedly appeared, confirming the speculation that the ship has been put into service. Coincidentally, on the 10th, the website "The War Zone" also published an article briefly describing the awkward situation of the "Constellation"-class frigates - after five years of construction, only 10% of the first ship has been built. The main long-range frigates developed simultaneously by China and the US have shown a 2:0.1 ratio again, demonstrating the gap between the two sides.
▲The new Type 054B has officially entered service.
"Constellation" is the ultimate product of the FFG(X) project in 2017. At that time, the US Navy had already felt the drawbacks of the "all-shield" fleet and was preparing to go back to basics by building a low-cost frigate to reduce the burden on destroyers. Although the Trump administration did not control spending as strictly as it does now, it strongly supported the Navy's initiative to control costs and opened many green lights, creating a classic scene in the history of US naval ship bidding - companies from the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy submitted bid proposals, which were more than the three proposals submitted by American companies, and ultimately, the Italians came out on top.
▲After "all-shield" modernization, maintenance costs increased significantly, and even the US Navy couldn't handle it.
In 2020, this bidding process, jokingly referred to as the "European Frigate War," came to an end, with Italy's upgraded FREMM-based proposal winning and being named the "Constellation"-class. Although built by an Italian subsidiary based in the US, this outcome was achieved under the condition that the US Navy urgently needed affordable frigates, and the theoretical cost and time of the Italian proposal were indeed low. However, perhaps due to the rapid development of the Chinese Navy, the US Navy felt threatened and couldn't help but raise the requirements. After the first ship of the "Constellation" began construction according to plan in 2020, the design underwent repeated changes and became unrecognizable.
▲The current "Constellation"-class is completely different from the original plan.
According to the report by "The War Zone," initially, "Constellation" intended to inherit about 85% of FREMM's design to reduce costs, but now only 15% remains from the original design, with the other 85% being new elements. The repeatedly changing plans mean that the construction of "Constellation" cannot proceed at all, and the expected cost has risen from $1 billion at the beginning to $1.4 billion. The once quick and low-cost frigate has taken a completely opposite path. Meanwhile, domestically, around the same time, development of the Type 054B, the next-generation long-range frigate replacing the Type 054A, also began, with its tonnage being similar to that of "Constellation."
▲The radar and avionics level of Type 054B are really good.
Compared to the current awkwardness of "Constellation," the first two Type 054B ships have been commissioned earlier this year, with their onboard radars and electronic equipment levels clearly surpassing those of "Constellation." China's shipbuilding industry has once again demonstrated that its ability to develop new warships far exceeds that of European and American peers, putting further pressure on "Constellation," which may require further performance improvements. For now, the actual construction of the "Constellation"-class has not yet expanded (the first ship actually started construction before the design was frozen, and the finishing work expected to take only a few months has not been completed even after several years), and there are no signs of subsequent batches of Type 054B being built either; it seems that domestic efforts are focused on addressing issues exposed in the initial batches, with both sides in a state of preparation.
▲Type 054A is somewhat insufficient for operations in distant seas.
Type 054A is clearly not enough to support the aircraft carrier's advance into distant seas; Type 054B will be the first long-range frigate domestically produced. Given that Type 055's performance is unrivaled globally, the key for Type 054B lies in balancing performance and cost. It is said that the initial design of Type 054B was outstanding but its cost was comparable to that of Type 052D, so it had to be redesigned, resulting in the two Type 054B ships we see today - the cost was controlled, but the performance seemed to drop slightly. Therefore, the final large-scale production version of Type 054B should have slightly improved performance. The real results of the competition between the two countries' long-range frigates will take several more years to materialize, and the likelihood of "Constellation" winning is slim.
▲To control costs, Type 054B adopts a large number of mature technologies.
From the initial demand for "affordable and fast construction" to the increasing performance requirements after the first ship's construction began, leading to the project's basic stagnation, "Constellation" demonstrates the contradiction between limited funding and overly high demands within the US Navy. The F-47 project set during Trump's second term is now heading towards "low cost and rapid deployment," but the pressure from J-36 is far greater than that of Type 054B. Whether F-47 will become the second "Constellation" remains uncertain.
Original Article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492643684840800804/
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