Ok thks. What is your assessment of the type 93 SSNs ? I've read all about its armament, but what about its sensors ? Is it comparable with Akula and Sierra-II of the Russian Navy in terms of noise reduction, passive towed array sonars, etc ?weasel1962 said:There is no official word on commissioning of the Type 93.
DoD reports to congress from 2002 onwards started estimating the in-service date of the -93. In the latest 2006 report, the sub is said to be "entering service".
Nevertheless, the class was launched in 2001/02 and sea trials were said to commence in 2003. The Xia class took 2 years from launch to commission. The Han took 4 years for the 1st sub and progressively got faster.
Since there isn't any reason for any delays (except the Han retrofits which would only affect launch dates), the 93 should be in service today which is about 4 years from launch.
Well since PLAN is quite paranoid and secretive organization nobody knows for sure... Early estimates suggested technological level comparable to Victor III class but some people are comparing type 93 to Akula… I personally think that type 93 is comparable to Victor III but sensor should be at better level since China probably learned quite a lot from French sonar tech acquired for Songs and from Russian build Kilos…contedicavour said:Ok thks. What is your assessment of the type 93 SSNs ? I've read all about its armament, but what about its sensors ? Is it comparable with Akula and Sierra-II of the Russian Navy in terms of noise reduction, passive towed array sonars, etc ?
thks & cheers