중국 해군은 2025년 400척 이상으로 확대될 것이며, 주로 수상전투함이 늘어날 것

[위종민]

중국해군은 현 340척에서 2025년까지 400척으로 늘어날 것이라고 합니다.

중국 해군의 총 보유척수는 2020년 355척에서 해경에 구형 코르벳 20척 이상을 이전하며 340척으로 줄었다고 합니다. 

VLS 64셀과 AESA 레이더를 장착한 052D 뤄양III급 구축함과 VLS 112셀을 장착했으며, 현재 5척이 취역한 055 렌하이급 미사일순양함이 전력증강의 상당부분을 차지합니다. 

중국 해군은 대지상/대수상 타격능력 강화에 중점을 기울이고 있으며 이에 필요한 OTH 타게팅 능력 격차를 메우기 위해 정찰, 감시, 지휘, 제어 및 통신 시스템에 투자를 계속하고 있다고 합니다. 

잠수함 전력은 SSBN 6척, SSN 6척, SS/SSK 44척을 보유중이며 2020년까지 65~70척의 수중전력을 유지하고 노후함을 1:1로 대체할 예정이라고 합니다. 또한 대지 순항미사일을 장착한 093B 상급 SSGN을 2020년대 중반에 건조할 예정입니다. 

중국 해군은 대형 평갑판 상륙함을 건조하면서, 동시에 민간 RORO선도 활용하면서 상륙함 건조 부담을 줄이고 있습니다.

 항모로는 소련 쿠즈네초프급에 기반한 STOBAR 항모인 랴오닝함과 산동함 2척이 운영중이며, CATOBAR 항모인 푸젠함은 2024년 운용 가능할 것으로 보입니다. 또한 J-15의 캐터펄트 운용형 및 전자전형 J-15D도 개발중이이고, 5세대 J-31 항모형도 개발중입니다. 

향후 몇 년 안에 1도련선을 넘어 작전 가능한 항모전투단을 배치할 것으로 보이며, 현재는 그런 능력이 미미하나 서서히 원양에서의 작전능력이 증가하고 있다고 하네요. 

Pentagon: Chinese Navy to Expand to 400 Ships by 2025, Growth Focused on Surface Combatants

By: Sam LaGrone

November 29, 2022 6:28 PM • Updated: November 29, 2022 8:16 PM

People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya, China. PLAN Photo

China is building more modern surface combatants and expanding its aircraft carrier and logistics force to grow its naval influence further from shore, according to the Pentagon’s annual report on Chinese military power.

By 2025, the People’s Liberation Army Navy is expected to grow to 400 hulls, up from its fleet of 340, according to the Pentagon’s annual China military report estimates released on Tuesday.

“The PLAN is an increasingly modern and flexible force that has focused on replacing its previous generations of platforms that had limited capabilities in favor of larger, modern multi-role combatants,” reads the report.
“As of 2021, the PLAN is largely composed of modern multi-role platforms featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine weapons and sensors.”

The report, which sums up Chinese military developments in 2021, pegs the growth to the PLAN adding more major surface combatants. The ship total dipped last year from 355 due to a transfer of more than 20 older corvettes to the China Coast Guard.

“At the close of 2021, the PLAN was building an aircraft carrier, a new batch of guided-missile destroyers (DDG), and a new batch of guided missile frigates (FFG),” reads the report.

The bulk of the surface expansion is contained in two programs, the 7,500-ton Luyang III guided-missile Type-52D destroyers and the larger 13,000-ton Type-55 Renhai-class guided-missile cruisers, according to the report.

Renhai-class cruiser

The Luyang III destroyers are built around a dual-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) air search radar and a 64-cell vertical launch system for multiple missiles similar to the Mk-41 VLS on U.S. surface ships.

The Renhais are much larger with a similar radar and 112 cell VLS cells “and can carry a large load out of weapons including [anti-ship cruise missiles], surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), torpedoes, and anti-submarine weapons along with likely [land-attack cruise missiles] and anti-ship ballistic missiles when those become operational,” according to the report.

As of May, the Chinese have five of the Renhai-class cruisers in commission, according to the South China Morning Post.

The newer classes of ships, with a variety of anti-surface and anti-air missiles, allow the PLAN better protection as its task groups venture farther from the protective umbrella of its shore-based air defense systems and mimic the basic construct of the American Aegis Combat System.

The emphasis on the platforms are anti-surface weapons, according to the report.
“The PLAN recognizes that long-range ASCMs require a robust, over-the-horizon (OTH) targeting capability to realize their full potential. To fill this capability gap, the PLA is investing in joint reconnaissance, surveillance, command, control, and communications systems at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels to provide high-fidelity targeting information to surface and subsurface launch platforms,” reads the report.

The PLAN is developing new submarines more slowly than it’s developing surface ships, “as it works to mature its force, integrate new technologies, and expand its shipyards,” reads the report.
“The PLAN currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN), and 44 diesel-powered/air-independent powered attack submarines (SS/SSP). The PLAN will likely maintain between 65 and 70 submarines through the 2020s, replacing older units with more capable units on a near one-to-one basis.”

The Pentagon speculated in the report that China is developing a nuclear guided-missile submarine that would field both anti-surface and land-attack cruise missiles, a new addition this year.

Type-093A Shang-class attack submarine

“By the mid-2020s, China will likely build the SHANG class (Type 093B) guided-missile nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSGN). This new SHANG class variant will enhance the PLAN’s anti-surface warfare capability and could provide a clandestine land-attack option if equipped with land-attack cruise missiles,” reads the report.

In terms of amphibious ships, the report highlighted not only the rapid development of the Yushen-class of big-deck amphibious warships, but also the increased use of civilian roll-on/roll-off car carriers that can go into service for military operations.

“This flexibility decreases the requirement to build additional PLAN amphibious ships to successfully assault Taiwan. This operational flexibility also provides operational and logistics units within the [PLAN Marine Corps] the training and proficiency to move between military and civilian vessels not just in a Taiwan scenario, but in any maritime environment where civilian transport vessels are available to the PLANMC and PLAN amphibious ships are not,” reads the report.

In late August, the PLAN held a major amphibious drill using civilian ferries to launch landing craft from sea, USNI News reported.

The PLAN has two operational aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, based on the Soviet Kuzenetzov, a short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR). Both carriers have been active in the Western Pacific. A third carrier, Fujian, will feature a catapult launch and arrested landing and is expected to be operational by 2024.

“This design will enable it to support additional fighter aircraft, fixed-wing early warning aircraft, and more rapid flight operations and thus extend the reach and effectiveness of its carrier-based strike aircraft,” reads the report.

The PLAN continues to refine its carrier aircraft – primarily the Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark, which is an unlicensed copy of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33 fighter.

A People’s Liberation Army Navy J-15 carrier fighter takes off from Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning (16) during a December 2021 deployment. PLAN Photo

“In addition to the standard J-15 fighter that currently operates from PLAN carriers, there is a catapult-capable J-15 variant in development,” reads the report.
“The aircraft is currently testing from land-based steam and electromagnetic catapults. A third J-15 variant, the J-15D, is a two-seat aircraft equipped with wingtip electronic support measures/electronic intelligence gathering pods as well as several conformal antennas. The aircraft is intended to fill a dedicated electronic attack role. China is also developing a carrier capable variant of the fifth-generation J-31 fighter.”

All told, the report concludes that the PLAN is working toward deploying an operational carrier battle group in the next several years beyond the first island chain that doesn’t need the shore-based defenses of the rest of the PLA.

“The PLAN’s ability to perform missions beyond the First Island Chain is modest but growing as it gains more experience operating in distant waters and acquires larger and more advanced platforms,” reads the report.

[백선호]

SSN을 확 늘리지 않는 이유는 뭘까요???

[위종민]

SSN이나 항모를 늘리지 않는 이유는 아마도 1) 인력 양성이 수상함보다 어렵고 2) 건조 인프라를 만들고 유지하는 게 어렵기 때문 아닐까요? 특히 군함용 원자로에서. SCMP 2022년 6월 기사에 따르면 4번째 항모도 원자로 기술이 딸려서 통상동력추진이라고 합니다. ( https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3182842/chinas-aircraft-carrier-no-4-will-not-catch-us-navys-nuclear?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article&campaign=3182842 )

[마로]

원자력 관련인력은 기본적으로 고급 인력리라 맘대로 확 늘리기가 힘들죠.