Posted on 09/29/2014 6:31:55 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The modernization of China's naval fleet has stalled on yet another setback, the use of Ukrainian turbines in all six Type 052C destroyers, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.
The two gas turbines in each Type 052C vessel are DN/DA-80s imported from Ukraine. Rumors from the Chinese Navy indicate that Ukrainian generators are extremely hard to maintain and overhaul. Designed to power merchant vessels, they are too heavy for destroyer-class ships. The weight alone has excluded them from the Russian and Indian navies.
Naval dispatches from various nations have already indicated that Type 052C destroyers performed more slowly than other types of Chinese warships during naval drills. Whether or not the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier imported from Ukraine, or the latest domestically-constructed Type 001A carrier, can find better power generators in their future builds remains to be seen. Ukrainian turbines are always questionable when compared to their Western counterparts, according to the report.
The outbreak of the civil war in Ukraine actually makes it harder for China to solve the problems the Type 052C destroyers are facing. Changchun, a Type 052C guided-missile destroyer, is currently joining an exercise with the Pakistani Navy on its way to the Gulf of Aden to conduct anti-piracy missions. Designed as successors to the Type 052C destroyers, the Kunming and its sister ships are able to launch missiles such as the HQ-6 and C-Club-N.
I very distinctly remember our painting the old Soviet Russian Navy as being 10’ tall back in the 70’s-80’s, when we were trying to build up to a 600-ship USN. As it turned out, of course, they were only about 5’6”.
Maybe the Chinese should make the effort and refit their ships with a more modern and more efficient kind of gas turbine power units?
After all, old flathead Ford V8’s ended up being replaced with newer and more efficient overhead-valve V8’s, and the performance increased correspondingly.
But what the heck, they aren’t using marine Diesel power units for the ship power. That would be SO polluting....
That is not the only problem the Chinese Navy has. They can build and outfit a splendid carrier, but they are finding that they just can’t create an experienced crew to make it work.
The threat being addressed was a reduction in various budgets, not the Soviets.
No realistic appraisal of the potential threats we've faced since the sixties would routinely include the Air Force trying to get rid of the A10 instead of building more of them and keeping the production line running at least at a low rate.
The same with the F15 and a dozen other things that should have been kept in service with the lines still running at a low rate until something that actually worked better was available, not just theoretically available if we spent enough money.
Anyone who thinks it's not just about the money should consider just how stupid it is to spend over three hundred million a copy for a fighter aircraft or how much better than much less expensive proposals the Osprey really is.
JMHo
“I very distinctly remember our painting the old Soviet Russian Navy as being 10’ tall back in the 70’s-80’s, when we were trying to build up to a 600-ship USN. As it turned out, of course, they were only about 5’6”.”
I agree we painted them 10 ft tall, at that time, but we also had good reason to. The Soviets were quickly modernizing their navy, building Kirov, Slava, Sovremenny and Udaloy class warships, Typhoon, Oscar and Akula class submarines and Backfire and Blackjack bombers. The fall of the USSR brought the Soviet Navy down to size.
IIRC, the Vietcong weren’t very tall, either.
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight...
Agreed, and hindsight is always 20/20.
;-)
Apparently their espionage didn’t get quite the ROI they had hoped.
Turbine blades are very high tech. I’m sure Obama will ride to the rescue.
And the North Koreans are 4’6” and getting smaller.
I’m not sure I’d call their carrier “splendid” ...
That said, they’re finding out that creating an experienced crew isn’t easy. Many nations have done it, but it costs and it doesn’t happen over night.
That means they can fit more soldiers into their ships.
The Liaoning? Why does a hotel/casino need turbines? It’s not like the PLAN is going to try operating an aircraft carrier. So many expert commentators——and FR posters-——told us so.
They still import gas turbines from UKRAINE and jet engines from Russia.
Their manufacturing technology and expertise is immature, at best.
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