Chapter 1430 Showing Your Face in Front of the Chinese
Baram did not give a direct response to Lieutenant Colonel Essen's judgment.
He just cast his gaze out of the porthole with a complicated expression, looking at the Silva-A50 vertical launch system installed on the front deck of his ship, the Brave.
以6*8方式布置的48单元，数量上倒是能跟对手相当，却只能发射短程的紫苑15和中程的紫苑30防空导弹。
Such a large destroyer of 7500 tons has combat performance only comparable to that of some new frigates.
"I never thought that in just twelve years, the Chinese Navy has already caught up with us in the field of surface ships... or even surpassed us..."
In addition to a hint of loneliness, one could vaguely hear some resentment in Balam's voice.
Compared to other destroyers that were temporarily upgraded before construction began, the Type 45 was simplified several times even after construction began.
For example, the ability to launch sea-based cruise missiles was temporarily canceled. Although it was said that relevant space was reserved for later upgrades, everyone knew that this was just casual talk.
Upgrading is impossible.
It would be a blessing if we could finish building the planned ships.
As for that part of the space...
On the Courageous, it has become a popular retail store among the crew.
Of course, Essen knew why his captain was complaining, but he was a little concerned about one detail -
The progress of the Chinese Navy is indeed rapid, but why is it not ten years, not twenty years, but exactly twelve years?
Balam seemed to see the other party's confusion, sat back in his seat, sighed and explained:
"Twelve years ago, in 1997... around this time, I was the chief pilot on the HMS Cornwall..."
Although their military ranks differ by only one level, there is a huge gap between colonel and brigadier general. He has been stagnant in this position for many years, so he has much more experience.
However, the colonel had never mentioned his early experiences in front of his subordinates before.
After hearing this, Essen suddenly realized:
"So... you participated in the 'Hai Lang 97' operation?"
For well-known reasons, the Royal Navy officials are very secretive about Operation Hailang 97, and the top leaders of the two countries rarely mention the matter because of their relatively harmonious relationship.
As for the two auxiliary fuel tanks that were floating in the middle of the fleet, they have never appeared in any official English materials.
There are only some memories of the parties involved and two blurry photos that have been taken countless times.
But after all, it was the navy's last large-scale operation so far, so privately, most officers knew something about the situation back then.
Even at the Dartmouth Naval Academy, simulating the consequences of a war if it broke out has become an annual tradition for certain clubs.
When Essen was in school, he once played the blue team and won a tragic victory.
Of course, that was just a private interest activity for the students and could not be considered a serious command assessment result...
Balam nodded:
"Yes."
As he spoke, his eyes became deep, as if he had returned to the fierce sea of those years:
"Although the operation itself was blocked by the Chinese Navy Aviation in an almost crazy way, and it was also involved in a series of political scandals, it is difficult to call it a success overall... But at the surface ship level, the other side actually only sent a 2000-ton frigate to track us, which is completely not on the same level as our fleet."
"But now..."
The colonel looked back at the monitor in front of him and reduced the image to fit the entire destroyer:
"Look at this ship. Although its displacement is slightly smaller than ours by 1000 tons, it is equipped with a complete four-sided phased array radar, a multi-functional universal vertical launch system, and long-range air defense missiles with regional air defense capabilities... We only have a scaled-down version of the Sampson double-sided rotating radar, and the air defense missiles can only cover a maximum range of 70 kilometers..."
The armament requirement of the Type 45 after being reduced in size is to surpass that of its old rival, the French Horizon-class, so it is a makeshift system in every aspect.
In the past, we always sat at the same table with countries around the Mediterranean, so we didn’t think it was a big problem.
Now when compared with the players in the Pacific region, they suddenly seem a little pale in comparison.
Essen knew that the captain was telling the truth, but he also felt that it was not a good idea to encourage others and destroy his own prestige at this time, so he forced himself to comfort him:
"Look at the bright side. At least Shion uses the most advanced guidance system, and its maneuverability is still strong even at the end of the range..."
Balam did not refute, but just shrugged noncommittally.
He has been studying sea and air tactics for a long time and knows very well that to a certain extent, there is actually no insurmountable performance gap between various types of air defense missiles after the 80s.
Most of the time, the simple and crude longer range is the biggest advantage.
Seeing that his consolation had no effect, Eisen was not discouraged:
"Colonel, although the weapons and equipment of the Chinese destroyers are stronger than ours, it is impossible for the two sides to use any weapons other than naval guns in this improvised exercise, so this advantage cannot be reflected at all..."
This time, Balam heard some hidden meaning in the other party's tone:
"What new ideas do you have?"
Esen didn't keep it a secret any longer:
"The biggest advantage of the Type 45 is that it is equipped with the most advanced integrated electric propulsion system and WR21 gas turbine. Compared with the traditional diesel-fuel alternating scheme on the 052C, although the overall power-to-weight ratio is not much better, the propulsion efficiency is far superior to the other side. It can be demonstrated in the exercise later..."
Balam did not express his opinion immediately, but just looked silently at the hazy gray silhouette half a mile away.
At this moment, the air conditioning system of the bridge emitted a slight and dull humming sound, which seemed to overlap with the roar of the engines of the Chinese Naval Aviation Force twelve years ago.
Obviously, this slightly unusual proposal was very attractive to the colonel.
He just wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.
After all, this time the two sides have set the tone of friendly cooperation.
At this moment, the signal officer's voice broke through Balam's memory:
"Captain, the other side has sent a new light signal. Welcome to the Gulf of Aden. We look forward to the successful completion of the joint exercise."
The latter took a deep breath, as if he had made a difficult decision.
"Reply to the other party, the Royal Navy looks forward to professional exchanges."
Balam adjusted the golden cufflinks on his black uniform:
"Notify the engine department to switch the WR-21 gas turbine to high-speed operation mode and prepare for tactical maneuver demonstration."
……
At the same time, in the CIC of the Xingzhou, Captain Lin Xi was watching the two ship marks slowly moving apart on the electronic chart.
The Brave, which was 5 chains away from them, was accelerating at a very violent speed. In just a few breaths, it increased its cruising speed from 14 knots to nearly 30 knots, and had slightly opened up a distance from them.
"Captain, the sonar department reported that they detected a change in the engine operation characteristics of the Courageous, which should mean that the working mode has been switched."
Deputy Captain Wang Ningfei came behind Lin Xi and reported.
"should?"
The latter turned his head and stared sharply at his deputy in front of him.
"Um……"
Facing the pressure deliberately given by the captain, Wang Ningfei's expectations were slightly weaker, but he still explained:
"The Courageous doesn't have the gearbox we usually use to determine navigation modes and signal characteristics. Under the coverage of propeller noise, it is too difficult to monitor the sound signal of the gas turbine itself, so... we can't be 100% sure. It is also possible that the power originally allocated to other systems is simply concentrated on the power system, or the auxiliary diesel engine is involved in the work."
Type 45 is the world's first combat ship that fully adopts an integrated power system. Not only the Chinese Navy, but all countries lack understanding of this type of propulsion method.
"No matter what, the other party is trying to intimidate us."
Lin Xi looked at the electronic chart in front of him again:
"We have to keep up. We can't let down the image of the Chinese Navy!"
