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CNS Harbin (112)

1994 MODERN NAVY

History of CNS Harbin (112)

The Chinese navy relies on a large number of ships to man its growing surface fleet designed to conduct coastal patrols and advance national interests in the Asia-Pacific region. One of their more modern destroyers is the "Type 052 Land Rover", a missile platform designed for speed, powerful dual-use weapons and airworthiness.

Only two of the class were produced, Harbin (112) and Qingdao (113), Harbin entered service sometime in 1994 - built at Jiangnan Shipyard. With its multi-faceted design scope, Harbin can provide air defense capabilities to the fleet through its missile network and cooperate with China's other naval and air resources through joint maritime operations.

Before relations with the West deteriorated in the late 1980s, Harbin's design benefited from Western technology available to Chinese engineers. The use of such equipment enables designers to learn from proven existing technologies that can be modified in time and ultimately further developed to accommodate future Chinese naval developments. However, the Harbin still can barely get by with the original foreign equipment, which limits the tactical scope of its overall design to a certain extent.

Although Harbin is a formidable surface vessel in its own right, it remains heavily dependent on its foreign equipment, limiting future modernization and thus combat capabilities. The ship class is also limited to two ships, perhaps indicating that this class of ships is designed to further advance the development aspirations of the Chinese navy, nothing more.

The inherent limitations of the Luhu class eventually led to the development of the follow-on 051B-class destroyer, which was designed to remedy these design flaws. The Type 051B entered service with the Chinese Navy in 1998, although only one has been completed since then (this is the officially recognized "Luhai class" and the Shenzhen (167) is their only ship).

Currently, the Harbin has a displacement of 4,800 tons and a length of 144 meters from bow to stern. It has a width of 16 meters and a draft of 5 meters. There are 260 officers and soldiers (about 40 officers). The overall hull design is very traditional, with proven molding techniques, although little attention has been paid to camouflage in this series (unlike the new Chinese boats coming online today).

As expected, the bow tapers sharply, the first feature being the deck turret. There are two layers of rails on either side of the boat. An 8-unit launcher is located behind the deck gun in the raised part of the superstructure. At the rear are two towers, connected by a bridge at the stern. The bridge is traditionally located on the foremost superstructure and is characterised by its large rectangular windows that extend to the front and partly to the sides, offering stunning views of the sea ahead.

Covering the main superstructure is a large number of structures used for ship command and fire control. Midships are smoke funnels for inhaling conventional propulsion systems buried deep in the hull. A second pyramid-shaped mast is fixed behind the chimney. The second superstructure, containing a full-service hangar, is located forward aft.

The helideck forms the last part of the boat and accommodates/launches medium rotorcraft.

This class is powered by a CODOG (Combined Diesel or Gas) unit consisting of 2 GE LM2500 series gas turbines (55,000 hp) and 2 MTU Friedrichshafen 12V 1163TB83 diesel engines (8,840 hp). CODOG allows ships to be propelled by diesel and natural gas systems connected to each propeller shaft. Thus, the vessel is able to reach burst speeds by using the gas turbine while cruising through the diesel system. Considering a typical CODOG arrangement, both motors are powered through a reduction gear and controlled by a clutch.

This arrangement is popular on modern destroyers, frigates and frigates, and contrasts with the CODAG arrangement in which the ship uses power from two engines for each propeller shaft. As a result, the Harbin has a top speed of 31 knots and a range of 4,600 miles.

The ship is equipped with various sensors, communications and countermeasures. Most are concentrated on the main mast, while some facilities are located on the second superstructure. Harbin has a ZKJ-4B (Thomson-CF) processing system with HN-900 data link and SNTI-240 SATCOM (satellite communication) kit.

Built-in 2 630 series photo guides. Aerial search functions were initially handled by the Seahawk 518 Series 3D systems, and low-altitude searches were performed by the 362 Series units (since the 2011 revision update detailed below).

Different fire control radar systems manage different weapon systems on board. Electronic warfare is accomplished through a series of built-in jammers and decoy processors.

As with any destroyer, the Harbin's weapons are what really determines the ship's identity. A modern destroyer must be able to use a variety of powerful weapons to achieve its versatile presence. When built, Harbin received 4 x YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, quad launchers (16 missiles in total), capable of countering the threat of enemy surface ships from a distance. The YJ-83 is a modern anti-ship missile that debuted in 1989 with speeds approaching Mach 1 and a range of about 500 kilometers.

It is also recognized by its export designation "C-803". There is an 8-cell missile launcher arsenal containing the HQ-7 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) - a short-range air defense system designed to counter threats from airborne threats such as aircraft or cruise missiles. In addition to her rockets, Harbin is equipped with traditional deck guns, such as the H/PJ33A 100mm dual-purpose (DP) twin-barreled gun mounted on the foredeck.

Deck guns can be used for short- and medium-range counterattacks against surface ships or for offshore bombardment of land-based targets within range. Enemy submarines need to pay attention to the 2 x Yu-7 series triple torpedo tubes installed on the Harbin.

Close-range defense was initially handled by 4 twin-barreled H/PJ76A 30mm cannons and 2 12-barrel Type 75 series anti-submarine rocket launchers (after replacement, see 2011 overhaul below).

The aft helideck provides access to onboard hangar facilities and storage space for up to 2 small or medium helicopters. The Chinese Navy primarily uses the Harbin Z-9C for general transport/supply missions or the Russian-designed Soviet-era Kamov Ka-27 series. The latter are equipped with specialized equipment for anti-submarine/anti-ship roles and are navy for harsh maritime operations.

Since its introduction in 1982, the Ka-27 has proven to be a formidable naval helicopter, and its modernization program will expand its capabilities in the near future. The Harbin Z-9C is precisely the locally produced version (licensed) of Eurocopter's AS365 Dauphin ("Dolphin") series, another high-performance modern platform.

In 2011, the Luhai-class underwent a significant upgrade program, improving their weapons and onboard processing/control systems. The 37mm anti-aircraft guns were abandoned in favor of 2 x 30mm Type 730 (H/PJ12) series CNC seven-barrel close-in weapons systems (CIWS) (mounted above the helicopter hangar). Likewise, the 12-barrel ASW rocket launcher was replaced by a 2 x 87 six-barrel version. 2 x 122mm Type 726-4 series decoy launchers have been added to the upgrade program on both sides of the bridge.

The Type 518 and Type 362 radars were downgraded to the Type 517M ??series and the Type 362 series, respectively. Type 364 upgrade. In 2011, sister ship Qingdao underwent a similar upgrade.