To: ggersh who wrote (218692 ) 12/27/2025 5:16:48 AM From: TobagoJack Read Replies (1) | Respond to Need supplemental navy ;0)twz.com Chinese Cargo Ship Packed Full Of Modular Missile Launchers Emerges Tyler Rogoway of not just one , but two tailless stealth tactical jet designs , among other developments. It appears we are getting at least one installment of this in the form of a medium-sized cargo ship packed full of containerized vertical launchers, along with sensors and self defense systems. The message is clear, China is making it known that it could, and likely will, turn ships from its behemoth of a commercial fleet into not just shooters, but arsenal ships. Type 1130 30mm close-in-weapon system (CIWS) for last-ditch defense against incoming threats, especially cruise missiles. One container lower, on both sides, we see Type 726 decoy launchers mounted on top of another pair of containers. The large cylindrical pods appear to be emergency life rafts, likely required because of the expanded crew size to make a concept like this work.literally covered with containerized vertical launchers. Installed five wide and three deep, each packing four large launch tubes, this arrangement gives the vessel a whopping 60 vertical large launch cells. This is two-thirds the VLS capacity of a Arleigh Burke class Flight I or II destroyer. ferries being shifted to the island invasion mission during exercises. It’s also worth noting that containerized weapon systems have moved from controversial oddity to the mainstream over the last decade, and it’s an area the U.S. continues to pursue heavily for all sorts of applications. real this configuration is? It very much looks like it was made photo ready for these images. Is this a proof of concept demonstrator or just a mockup? How sturdy are the radar and CIWS installations, for instance? On closer examination of the images, the radar installation looks relatively robust, but takeaways are limited at this time. The radar would have an issue with being close to inline with the ship’s actual aft superstructure, although there are ways to mitigate this. And just because you can bolt all this to a commercial ship, it doesn’t mean it can employ these sensors and weapons effectively. What combat information system exists on the ship to integrate all these systems and effectively use them in combat? cargo ships and gargantuan shipbuilding capacity could leverage this concept to a degree that it would become a huge problem for the U.S. and its allies. On the other hand, as we have suggested before, going a similar route will likely become necessary for the U.S. Navy, which is being overrun in shipbuilding by the People’s Liberation Army Navy, and that delta will likely only widen as time goes on. This reality is only exacerbated by one failed surface combatant program after another. Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com
