The French website "Naval News" reported on December 25 that images of a Chinese vessel carrying multiple containerized vertical launch unit systems have circulated online. The base of the ship appears to be a standard civilian container freighter, further equipped with radar, vertical launch systems, and other systems.

"Naval News" independently confirmed the existence of this modified vessel, and satellite imagery shows the ship docked in Shanghai.

According to reports, this ordinary transport ship is equipped with multiple containerized vertical launch cells, at least 48 in total, arranged in three rows of 16, with each container having about four units, and each row being four containers wide. The ship is also equipped with the 1130 close-range weapon system, and at least three decoy launchers are installed at the bow (it is speculated to be six considering possible reverse installation points).

In addition to carrying decoys and weapons, sensors are also installed. Sensors are installed from the bridge to the stern. In the foreground, the 344-type fire control radar is visible, which is a standard PLA sensor used to guide radar-controlled artillery of different calibers (up to 130 mm), usually mounted on destroyers to assist the main gun in targeting.

An unknown flat surface, possibly an AESA array, is also installed in a container slightly higher on the port side and higher than the 344-type, which may be used for additional aerial search or missile guidance capabilities.

Potential loading of missiles

Chinese warships and submarines are equipped with modern missiles and weapons. Here, the YJ-18 anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile is displayed.

Currently, the type of missiles that this vessel will carry remains mostly unknown, although the VLS units loaded in containers can likely launch China's standard anti-ship and land-attack missiles. The ammunition may include the CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile already deployed on ships, the YJ-18 series anti-ship/land-attack cruise missiles, and the YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missile.

It has not been clarified whether this container ship has the capability to use surface-to-air missiles. However, if it uses the GJB 5860-2006 general vertical launch system and its launch units, it may have this capability, thus potentially enabling the use of the HHQ-9 series surface-to-air missiles.

Global Container Missiles

The container missile "Savannah" (LCS 28) conducted live-fire demonstrations in the eastern Pacific, firing the "Standard-6" (SM-6) missile from a container launch system to strike a target.

Over the past decade, container missile systems have begun to spread globally due to their flexibility. One of the most notable systems is the Russian-developed Club-K container missile system. This concept details that each container will store four VLS units, primarily with Kalibr series land-attack/anti-ship cruise missiles as the main ammunition.

The United States is also pursuing similar capabilities, with the Lockheed MK-70 MOD 1 containerized vertical launch system having been tested. The MK-70 uses four strike-length vertical launch units, installed within large containers, capable of launching RIM-156 SM-3, RIM-174 SM-6, and "Tomahawk" land-attack cruise missiles from land or sea platforms.

The U.S. Army has also developed a currently unnumbered system capable of launching two HIMARS pods from standard-sized containers. This container is shorter than the MK-70 launch chamber. HIMARS ammunition and its applications include standard GMLRS or GMLRS-ER series guided rockets (six per pod), as well as the MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missile (one per pod) or the upcoming PRSM (two per pod).

Original: toutiao.com/article/7587956457769861686/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.