Shipbucket

Plan 1159 weapon trials ship



Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Plan_1159_weapon_trials_ship

In 2001, shortly after the resolution of the Renkaku Islands dispute opened the way for the purchasing and licensing of Banbhan and Dayashinese equipment, the Menghean Ministry of National Defense ordered the Navy to construct a dedicated weapon trials ship to test the integration of the Mk41 VLS and other equipment with Menghean electronics and controls. A single trials ship was built, with the hull number TMS-751. Like many experimental and intelligence-gathering ships of the Menghean Navy, she did not receive a name and there is little published information about her. It is known that after test-firing the YDG-60 (licensed SM-2MR) and YDG-62 (licensed SM-2ER) surface-to-air missiles, TMS-751 was used for live-fire tests of the YDG-7G SAM and the HŎ-3 anti-submarine missile, and over the course of her lifetime she was repeatedly modified to test new missiles and sensors. In addition to leaving safe space for tests with future rotary-wing aircraft, her large helipad and spacious hangar allowed the temporary mounting of other equipment, such as anti-ship missile boxes, target drone launch rails, and reconnaissance UAV recovery nets. Cadets periodically toured her in port or on short voyages to practice navigation and familiarize themselves with the combat systems of the Yechŏn-class frigate and Mirun-class corvette, but she was never classified as a dedicated training ship.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Thank you! Although, if you've browsed my iiWiki stuff, I'm sure you can also see that with so much to manage a lot keeps going out of date

Keep an eye out for some frigate drawings that I am polishing and will post here soon... perhaps I will include the halfscale cutaways for these too

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Chunchŏn-class frigate



Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Chunch%C5%8Fn-class_frigate

Successors to the Yechŏns, the Chunchŏn-class frigates were also outer-layer escort ships, but they added a wide range of additional capabilities to enable them to support coastal operations against Innominada in a potential future war (which, as fate would have it, broke out in Fall of 2014). These changes included a 130mm gun forward in place of the original 76mm and large angled launch boxes for the YDH-29 supersonic anti-ship missile. Aft, a second helicopter hangar was added, and heavier CIWS mounts with reloading missile boxes were installed. These changes resulted in an increase in displacement of over 1,000 tonnes compared to the Yechŏns, and the powerplant, while retaining a CODOG configuration, used more powerful turbines and diesels, resulting in a modest increase in speed. Conservative Naval doctrine staff criticized the design for its mission creep, arguing that an outer-layer escort should be compact and inexpensive in light of its high-risk role; defenders of the design argued that an outer-layer escort's long radar horizon, strong self-defense capabilities, high sprint speed, and lack of more powerful air-search sensors already overlapped well with the requirements of a coastal fire-support platform.



HO-345 Ryoju, HO-346 Raenghae, and HO-347 Suju were completed to a slightly different design from the first five Menghean hulls. Up top, their upper sensor mast was extended to make room for an HG-54 omnidirectional VHF and UHF acquisition and direction-finding array, to help locate enemy radio emissions. The Pigan EO units flanking the tower were replaced by Hongmoja models, which are more sensitive and can also scan at higher elevations to detect enemy aircraft and high-altitude missiles. This change necessitated the relocation of some UHF antennas. Because the changes are minor, the Menghean Navy does not consider these ships to constitute a separate subclass in their own right, but ship identification guides note that the "beehive" structure on the upper mast and the more angular cameras flanking the hourglass mast set these three ships apart from the others.



In February 2022, HO-344 Cheho was photographed in drydock with what appeared to be an anechoic coating around her machinery spaces, strongly resembling the coating photographed on the Mirun-class corvette Gŭnju four years earlier. It is possible that the Menghean Navy is evaluating the effects of this modification on diesel engine noise and ship speed, and using the Cheho as a comparison to existing vessels. As of February 2023, no other Chunchŏn-class frigates have been seen with this anechoic coating, suggesting that the measure is still in the experimental or trial stage.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Sŏnsan-class frigate



Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/S%C5%8Fnsan-class_frigate

Where to begin! The Sŏnsan-class frigates are a major subclass of the Chunchŏns, and are generally considered to constitute a separate class in their own right. The core underlying change was the replacement of the original CODOG powerplant with a novel COGLAG (combined gas-electric and gas) arrangement, related to that used by the Yungju-class corvettes. This change was primarily intended to reduce engine noise and address issues with the reliability of the electric air compressors for the Prairie and Masker systems; the full wiki article describes this in much greater detail, summarizing technical discussions on the Shipbucket discord. Despite the changes to the machinery and superstructure, the Sŏnsans use the same hullform as the Chunchŏn class, with no changes to the forward and aft hull sections and no changes to the sensors or armament.



The diagram above, though in halfscale rather than SB (1px:1ft), compares the machinery spaces of the Chunchŏn-class frigates (Plan 85) and the Sŏnsan-class frigates (Plan 858). Note that the overall dimensions of the machinery spaces are identical, which obviated the need for a hull plug or full hullform redesign, but that some of the transverse structural bulkheads have moved to accommodate the different engine placement and to support the new funnel layout. Note also that an additional kevlar-lined double bulkhead was added to further insulate the generator and electric motor compartment. With all these changes, the new powerplant structure ended up being only slightly lighter than the original; thicker structural steel walls compensated for this, and upon commissioning, Sŏnsan reportedly only displaced 30 tonnes less than Chunchŏn. The two 6NY16L-EW diesel gensets on the Plan 858 design do not contribute toward propulsion, and are meant to provide hotel power at anchor or in port, where it would be wasteful to run an entire gas turbine generator.



Starting with the seventh ship, HO-354, Sŏnsan-class frigates were completed to a modified configuration known as the Chŏngsŏng subclass. This time, the propulsion systems and funnels were preserved, but the forward portion of the superstructure was heavily rebuilt. Most visibly, the main sensor mast was replaced by a new version with its main surfaces at 45-degree angles, starting as an octagon at its base and tapering into a square at its waist. The bridge deck was also modified, and now features angled sides, composite window wiper covers, and a single wide window on the aft side of each wing, rather than two narrow windows. The new mast is topped by a Thales NS100 3D air search radar, and the phased-array antennas on its sides are, from top to bottom, a LPI navigation radar, a long-range datalink, and the "Metturi" combined multiband ESM-ECM suite.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Excellent drawings. Keep up the interesting work!

Insŏng-class destroyer

This one took a lot of time and effort to get completely right, hence the long gap in posting... But it's finally done.

Main article, one of my best: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Ins%C5%8Fng-class_destroyer



The Insŏng class is the newest type of guided missile destroyer built for the Menghean Navy. With an overall length of 178.6 meters, a full load displacement of 13,930 tonnes, and modest flag facilities allowing her to coordinate other escorts in a formation, the Insŏngs push the line between a destroyer and a cruiser, though in Menghe they are simply classified as "main-force escort ships." Excluding carriers, amphibious landing ships, and auxiliaries, they are the largest surface combatants built in Menghe since the end of the Pan-Septentrion War in 1945, making them a source of considerable national pride.



In addition to their size, the Insŏngs are also very modern. Each ship is built around the AN/SPY-6(V)4 AESA air search radar, with four arrays of 24 RMA modules each. Three Dyura-D radars provide illumination and sector search, and one NS50 radar provides back-up detection capability in a higher frequency band. Menghean state sources claim that an Insŏng-class destroyer can detect, track, and engage a Rafale-sized radar contact at ranges limited only by the radar horizon at the target's cruising altitude, implying an effective range of at least 300 and perhaps 400 or 500 kilometers. The Chasip EW suite provides long-distance classification and jamming, and the Metturi EW suite provides self-defense classification and jamming; both the AN/SPY-6 and the Dyura-D units can also emit jamming signals. The power and range of these systems, including the low frequency of the Chasip OECM array, could enable an Insŏng-class destroyer to jam maritime patrol aircraft and airborne early warning platforms. Combined with the YDG-67 surface-to-air missile, with its range of 360 kilometers on an optimized trajectory, this air warfare suite allows an Insŏng-class destroyer to deny enemy aircraft access to a wide defensive bubble, protecting not only a high-value target like an aircraft carrier, but also providing a safe launching point for land-based maritime strike planes.



The Insŏng class began its life as Plan 1242, the first Menghean proposal for a new class of large air defense destroyer. With a length of 190 meters and a displacement of over 15,000 tonnes, this would have been an enormous ship. Note also the wider superstructure, which carries the AN/SPY-6(V)1 with 37 RMA modules. A domestic D-band radar was also considered, but this project was ultimately cancelled due to obstacles in development, leaving Menghe to rely on the offer of AN/SPY-6 exports from Dayashina. At the time when these ships were in development, the Menghean Ministry of National Defense requested ballistic missile defense as a major intended role, hoping that Insŏng-class destroyers patrolling in the South Menghe Sea could intercept Entente IRBMs from Khalistan and Maracaibo.



In the end, the Menghean MoND concluded that the Plan 1242 design would be too expensive to build and operate, and shifted its focus to a lower-cost, lower-risk alternative, designed in parallel as Plan 1244. This ship preserved the propulsion systems of Plan 1242, but imposed reductions in several other areas, resulting in a somewhat smaller ship. The 130mm main gun was deleted, on the reasoning that a ship as expensive as the Insŏng should not close to coastal bombardment range, nor would it have to on its expected mission profile. In its place, the designers added a single 76mm gun on a raised deckhouse, conferring superior close-in missile defense capability and saving space inside the hull. The AN/SPY-6(V)4 array, smaller than the V(1), saved on cost and mass, and also allowed a narrowing of the upper superstructure. Some changes to the internal spaces, such as the rotation of the Mk41 VLS arrays by 90 degrees, also reduced displacement. The MoND approved this design for production at the beginning of 2015, and the first ship was laid down on 24 June of that year.


This image shows a detailed interior plan of the Plan 1244 design, as used during construction of HJ-384. Each Insŏng-class destroyer has accommodations for 42 officers, 58 upper enlisted ranks, and 234 lower enlisted ranks, as well as 33 bunks in austerity accommodations, served by 67 toilets and 56 showers. The accommodations are more spacious than what other Menghean warships have to offer: all officers have single-bunk cabins of their own, upper enlisted ranks are berthed two to a cabin, and lower enlisted ranks, 4-8 to a cabin. Below the main deck, the hull is divided into ten major sections, which are separated by kevlar-lined double bulkheads to contain fire, flooding, and other damage. Note also that the gas turbine generators are mounted within the upper section of the hull, to reduce the underwater acoustic signature and protect the powerplant against flooding damage.



This image depicts HJ-385 Chŏngdo, the second ship in the Insŏng class, during her arrival in Avallone on 6 December 2020. She is flying the Banbhan flag from her starboard yardarm as a sign of goodwill. Chŏngdo visited 17 cities and ports during a world tour which lasted from 5 November 2020 to 17 April 2021. The purpose of these visits was to showcase the Menghean Navy's newest ship class, and to strengthen ties with key allies. Her voyage also marked the first time a Menghean surface warship had ever passed through the Maw, the narrow strait separating the continents of Vinya and Abyaala.



HJ-390 Saekgu, the seventh Insŏng, and HJ-391 Sunchang, the eighth, were completed with the Taeil laser weapon in place of the aft 35mm CIWS mount. Because of their COGLAG powerplant, the Insŏng-class destroyers generate a great deal of electric power in both cruise and sprint operations, and therefore make ideal applications for energy-intensive lasers. HJ-392 Hwasŏng, along with later ships in the class, was commissioned with the 35mm CIWS again, indicating that the Taeil laser installation is still in the operational testing phase.



This image--though not properly Shipbucket standard--records the damage which HJ-388 Chilsan sustained on the night of 11-12 April 2022, at the outbreak of the Second Pan-Septentrion War. Fires from the amidships missile hit spread unchecked and gutted the aft half of the superstructure over the hours that followed, eventually leaving the ship on emergency power. In the end, Chilsan was able to rendezvous with a firefighting tug and limp back to safety at the Puerto Alegre naval base, but inspections conducted in the following months concluded that she was too extensively damaged to return to service. In September 2022, she was towed back to the Songsu-do Naval Base to be scrapped; any parts deemed salvagable were re-used on her sister ship, HJ-396 Changgi, under construction in the adjacent drydock slip.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

This is truly impressive and well done super-detailed entry! It set certain bar to personal/AU designs for everyone.

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Shipbucket mainsite, aka "The Archive"
New AU project "Aravala"

Indeed, a very high-quality work. Keep it up!

I think it's a shame that the black and white plan drawings are only in ½ size - I'm sure they would look great in full scale, since your real drawings are of such high quality

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Morten812

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