China Builds Fleet of Small Warships While U.S. Drifts

[Feuer Frei!]

Ten years ago, the U.S. Navy set about building a new class of small, cheap, numerous Littoral Combat Ships meant to dominate dangerous coastal waters. But after a decade of politics and design-by-committee, the LCS has turned out to be anything but small, cheap and numerous. LCS is the “wrong ship at the wrong time,” retired Navy Cmdr. John Patch wrote.
On the other side of the Pacific, the Navy’s biggest maritime rival, faced with the same requirement for small, cheap, numerous ships, quickly produced exactly that. The result is the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s triple-hull Type 022 missile boat, a “thoroughbred ship-killer,” according to Patch.
To some observers, the PLAN missile boat — or, more to the point, packs of these boats — poses yet another major Chinese threat to U.S. power in the Pacific. Eighty-three Type 022s firing more than 640 anti-ship missiles in quick salvos represent a “serious cause for concern,” according to retired Navy Cmdr. George Root.
To others, the diminutive Type 022s look like mere juicy targets for American helicopters and submarines. They cite the extremely poor combat record of small-missiles boats doing battle with larger vessels and aircraft.
One thing is indisputable. The Type 022 is “a potential success story on how to field small combatants,” Patch wrote. Its merits in combat remain to be seen, but at least the ship exists to perform a combat role. The same cannot be said of the huge fleet of LCSs the U.S. Navy thought it would have by now.


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[TLAM Strike]

The Houbi class missile boats are really just a replacement for all the Osa type missile boats china is retiring and has a lot of their problems. Mainly they lack air defense and have no on board OTH targeting ability (ie no heli). The only way such a ship could be effective is under friendly air cover, even if it were paired with one of China's new AAW destroyers it still lacks a real OTH ability since its one helo would be very vulnerable to attack from carrier based fighters.

But I think boats like this should cause the USN to bring back the Sub-Harpoon as it seems very suited to deal with small fast poorly armed craft.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

no on board OTH targeting ability (ie no heli)

This Western-style thinking may be a good way to get killed. While most Western navies seem to consider a beyond the horizon radar contact via surface ducting as some kind of freak phenomenon, the Russians, Italians and now the Chinese don't think so and have created a family of active and even passive radars to exploit surface ducting and gain contacts over the horizon. Supposedly in most situations, it actually works rather well, certainly well enough the Russians have several generations of such radars.

Which means Western ships might innocuously close with some Russian Nanuchka, thinking they have plenty of time to kill it, only to be engaged with 6 SS-N-9s.

Fortunately, they weren't on the Osas.

[Growler]

Eighty-three Type 022s firing more than 640 anti-ship missiles in quick salvos...

That's a lot of hurt to worry about.

These are coastal vessels, yes? OTH doesn't matter so much - these are designed for when the surface fleets are danger-close to your turf; you'll have all the air cover you need from land-based a/c with far longer legs than any carrier-borne a/c.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Growler

That's a lot of hurt to worry about.

These are coastal vessels, yes? OTH doesn't matter so much - these are designed for when the surface fleets are danger-close to your turf; you'll have all the air cover you need from land-based a/c with far longer legs than any carrier-borne a/c.

Agreed...more for defence of the homeland than attack in deep waters.