Type 343 radar (Chinese: 343型雷达) is a Chinese fire control radar installed on
Type 051 destroyer
The Type 051 destroyer (NATO/OSD Luda-class destroyer) was a class of guided missile destroyers based on the hull of the Soviet deployed by China. It was the first guided missile destroyer fielded by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ...
, and has been since retired from active service.
Type 343 radar is the first generation Chinese fire control radar for large caliber guns, with development begun in 1968, with 720th Research Institute assigned as the develop in October of the same year.
Sea trials begun in July 1970 and design completed in 1976, with state certification received in 1979. A total of 12 sets were produced, with first five built by 720th Institute, and production subsequently transferred to Plant 410 in
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
in 1982.
[ The radar operates in two bands, X-band is usually used, with Ku-band as backup. The radar can detect and track medium-sized surface target around 30 and 20 km away respectively.]
Type 343 is a 2-D air search radar with MTBF of 40 hours, and in addition to control guns, it is also used for anti-ship missile fire control. As a 2-D air search radar, Type 343 can only provide bearing and range, and to provide altitude information on the target, a large optical ranging set is needed, which requires an operator. Therefore, an operator's cupola is attached to the radar, immediately behind the antenna.[ An improved version Type 343-Gai (改), has the operator cupola deleted and the bulky complex optical ranging set replaced by a compact, but far more capable electro-optical sensor (EO) that is only a tiny fraction size of the original equipment it replaced.][ As more advanced radars available, Type 343 has been phased from active service in Chinese navy.
]
See also
* Chinese radars
*Naval Weaponry of the People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLAN force consists of approximately 250,000 men and over a hundred major combat vessels, or ...
References
Sea radars
Military radars of the People's Republic of China
Military equipment introduced in the 1970s
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