Via Chinese social media
From Maritime Executive
An unusual trimaran drone ship was spotted at Guangzhou Shipyard earlier this year, and it has now made its first public appearance. On Friday, at the Zhuhai Airshow, the PLA Navy unveiled a new surface combatant called the "Killer Whale" - a miniature warship with an operating concept much like the U.S. Navy's Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, but smaller and potentially without crew.
According to Chinese media, the vessel has a length of 190 feet and displaces about 300-500 tonnes, with a maximum speed of 40 knots and a range of about 4,000 nautical miles. It is reportedly fitted to carry a wide array of weaponry - antiship missiles, antiaircraft missiles, torpedoes, and a drone helicopter on the rear deck.
🚨update🚨
— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) October 29, 2024
Additional ultra high res 30cm📷 of the Guangzhou Shipyard from 6 August 2024 gives a view of the unknown USV as well as what could be a 'research carrier' of sorts along with dimensions via @qgis (or a large dock landing ship) https://t.co/uqI56oUE5A pic.twitter.com/HQbqAEBuT0
Its most notable feature might be the resuscitation of the "modular mission package" concept, which first entered full-scale service with the debut of the Littoral Combat Ship in the 2010s. The underlying concept was to field a multipurpose vessel that could carry "swappable" weapons packages for different missions - mine warfare, antisubmarine warfare and surface warfare. In practice, the U.S. Navy was not able to develop or operationalize the "swappable" concept aboard its two LCS classes, and each LCS vessel is now permanently fitted with specific equipment.
According to local media, the new Killer Whale's mission sets include surveillance patrols, surface warfare, anti-submarine operations, and air defense missions. It can be reconfigured for "sea battlefield environment surveys and rescue in distress," making it an "all-around warrior."
中国広東省珠海市で開催されている第15回中国国際航空宇宙博覧会に登場した無人戦闘艇「虎鲸（Orca）」。
— ミリレポ (@sabatech_pr) November 10, 2024
全長58m、排水量500t。機関銃、対艦/対空ミサイル、ロケット弾、対潜魚雷を装備し、後部にはヘリ甲板もpic.twitter.com/9oLPKIki78
Though designed by CSSC's autonomous vessel specialists and designated as unmanned, the new USV also has a prominent wraparound bridge deck for human watchstanders. Naval analysts have noted that it bears a striking resemblance to Indonesia's manned Klewang-class fast attack craft: The carbon fiber Klewang-class is longer, narrower, and has less range and payload, but has a comparable top speed and a superficially similar appearance.
Interestingly the final configuration appears to be somewhat closer to the "Jari-USV-A" (not the Jari) concept model shown years ago vs the graphic shown at launch of the project. https://t.co/3Bp71lZbYv pic.twitter.com/WbjrzkekzH
— Alex Luck (@AlexLuck9) October 28, 2024
- Illustrations and scale models of the Killer Whale's design have appeared at Chinese defense trade shows over the past two years under the program name "JARI-USV-A." Open-source intelligence analysts first spotted the full-sizgoog_535963585e prototype in satellite imagery at CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard last month.
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