The Type 052D missile control destroyers are the most high-tech, multifunctional, and advanced in terms of operational and tactical flexibility, warships of the Chinese Naval Forces. A series of 12 rocket vehicles with a displacement of 7,500 tons is equipped with a modern combat information and control system H / ZBJ-1, which has French roots and conceptual similarity to the American Aegis BIUS. Unlike the previous class of destroyers Type 052C, which has a pronounced anti-aircraft / anti-missile configuration thanks to the installed HHQ-9 air defense system with 8x6 vertical revolving type, the Type 052D Kunming is the first most versatile class of Chinese surface combatants. This is achieved by equipping 2x32 modular launchers for 64 transport and launch containers (cells), which are adapted for the use of anti-aircraft, anti-ship, strategic cruise, and anti-submarine missiles. The "core" of the H / ZBJ-1 combat information and control system is the Type 346A multifunctional AFAR radar, represented by a 4-sided AR (the Type 052C was equipped with a similar radar of the earlier Type 346 version).
The development of this radar began in the late 1980s. within the walls of the Nanjing Research Institute (formerly known as the 14th Institute), the main competitor of which was the 2nd Research Academy of the 23rd Research Institute, belonging to the CASIC company. At that time, a fierce competition broke out between the two development units, which was supported by a serious crisis of investments in the defense sector of the economy from the Central People's Government, which only fueled interest in the project. After all, the winner in a strategically important program for the development of a promising shipborne radar could count on ¥ 230 million for the development of the scientific and technical base and the modernization of production facilities. The specialists of the Nanjing Research Institute, who were previously familiar with the intricacies of the design and manufacture of the element base of the radar with phased antenna arrays, won the race against the 23rd Institute, and it was their Type 346 product that became the basic element of the radar appearance of the future Type 052C and Type 052D destroyers. Until the second decade of the 21st century, almost nothing was known about this unique (in comparison with the American AN / SPY-1D) radar, but just a few years ago, scattered "grains" of data appeared on the network, according to which you can make a fairly clear portrait of the product.
If you take a close look at the radar architecture of the EM Type 052C / D, you will not notice on the superstructure elements of the usual for "Aegis" ships "radar searchlights" of continuous radiation, similar to the US AN / SPG-62 for illuminating targets operating in the X-band and having only 1 target channel per "spotlight". For this reason, we hasten to sadden all bloggers who adhere to the concept: "Type 346 is the worst copy of the American AN / SPY-1A / D."
In reality, we have one of the best examples of Chinese engineering in the field of radar. The Type-346, in contrast to the US AN / SPY-1D, can be considered a full-fledged multifunctional radar that allows you to simultaneously scan the earth's surface near the coastline, surface and airspace, as well as capture more than 16-20 for HHQ-9 anti-aircraft missiles standard and ultra-small targets of the enemy. For this, the transmit-receive modules of the web of each of the four AFAR Type 346 are divided into 2 groups.
The first operates in the survey S-band (frequency 2-4 GHz), designed for early detection of targets, tying their routes, as well as possible target designation for anti-aircraft missiles with an active radar seeker of the DK-10A type (as is known from the architecture of building European shipborne air defense systems " PAAMS ", S-band radars" EMPAR "and" Sampson "is used for target designation of missiles with ARGSN" Aster-15/30 ").
The second group forms the so-called "shooting array". Consequently, it is represented by several thousand transmit-receive modules of the centimeter C-band (frequency 4-8 GHz). This group of PPMs is designed to track targets with high resolution, as well as their illumination for anti-aircraft interceptor missiles HHQ-9. Unlike the Aegis AN / SPG-62 single-channel "radar searchlights" operating in the C-band of the AFAR sector, the Type-346 stations are capable of "illuminating" several air targets at once, due to which the performance of the HHQ-9 complex during the "stellar raids”RCC will be much higher. Indeed, for the Aegis family of ships, when using missiles with PARGSN SM-2ER, it depends solely on the number of AN / SPG-62 radars (Ticonderoga - 4, Arley Burke - 3). More or less, the position of the Aegis is improved only by the arrival of the RIM-156B and RIM-174 ERAM interceptor missiles, equipped with active radar homing heads, or auxiliary infrared sensors, into service with the Navy.
A slightly similar architecture to the Chinese Type 346 is also observed in the Japanese-Dutch radar station FCS-3A, which is designed to control the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile missile defense system of the RIM-162B modification (an improved Sea Sparrow, not unified with the Aegis system). The FCA-3A station, developed by a joint division of Thales and Mitsubishi Electronics, is installed on Akizuki-class multipurpose destroyers and Hyuga helicopter carriers. For viewing and tracking, 4 large antenna arrays of the C-band of centimeter waves are used here, and for capturing and illuminating targets, even higher-frequency small X-band AFARs are used. The main design difference between the FCA-3A and the Chinese Type 346 is the separation of the survey and "firing" AFAR sectors in the form of separate antenna arrays. In terms of the survivability of the radar complex, the Japanese-Dutch concept, no doubt, looks more attractive. The Chinese, on the contrary, is better in terms of ergonomics, since a much smaller number of highly qualified destroyer officers are needed to repair decimeter and centimeter APM sectors as part of a single antenna array.
The American company "Ratheon" has chosen the path of modernization of "Aegis", corresponding to the Japanese concept of FCS-3A, which is expressed in the updated version of AN / SPY-6 (V) AMDR ("Air and Missile Defense Radar"). Here, in addition to the AFARized AN / SPY-1Ds, a new 3/4-sided X-band antenna post will be integrated, which will be housed in an additional towering superstructure of the Arleigh Burke-class EM URO of the Flight III modification. At the same time, judging by the sketches, the Americans will leave the classic AN / SPG-62 illumination radars for safety net, due to which AMDR is considered a "tri-band radar". This technique will also significantly improve the Aegis's anti-missile capabilities, but make the system more complex and cumbersome compared to the Chinese H / ZBJ-1 equipped with the Type 346 lightweight dual-band radar.
As can be seen already from the technical sketches and ground test mock-ups, the advanced Type 055 heavy destroyers of the Chinese Navy's URO will also receive multi-channel radar systems similar to the Type 346, capable of easily coping with all types of air threats in a complex jamming environment. Four ships of this class, surpassing the American cruiser Ticonderoga in size and displacement, are being successfully completed at the shipyards in Shanghai and Dalian. Their high-precision arsenal, represented by anti-aircraft guided missiles DK-10A, HQ-9, HQ-16, anti-ship YJ-83, YJ-18, strategic CJ-10A and anti-submarine YU-8, will be located in 122-128 transport and launch containers of two modular PU in the bow and stern, which will exceed the Type 052D ammunition capacity by 2 times and will reach the Ticonderogi performance. At the same time, the more advanced capabilities of the Type 346 radar will give the Chinese naval and aircraft carrier strike groups a serious advantage over the American AUG in terms of building a defense against massive attacks by LRASM anti-ship missiles. The only noticeable drawback for the Chinese is the temporary absence of sea-based exoatmospheric interceptors, similar to the American SM-3 Block IB, due to which the capabilities in the fight against the enemy's MRBM and ICBMs will be seriously "limp" at the moment.
