Type 342 radar is a Chinese fire control radar for HQ-61 SAM, and since has been retired from active service from Chinese navy (PLAN) when HQ-61 SAM is replaced by more advanced SAM systems.
A fire-control system is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately.
The Hongqi-61 is the first generation Chinese SARH guided surface-to-air missile (SAM). It is classified by Chinese as a low-to-medium air defense missile, and the series includes both land-based and shipborne versions, and an anti-radiation version and air-to-air version have also been developed. The naval and anti-radiation versions have been retired from Chinese service but PL-11, the air-to-air version and HQ-61A, the land-based mobile version are still currently in limited service with the Chinese military.
The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the PLA Navy, is the naval warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army, which is the armed wing of the Communist Party of China and, by default, the national armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLAN can trace its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese Civil War and was established in September 1950. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union provided assistance to the PLAN in the form of naval advisers and export of equipment and technology. Until the late 1980s, the PLAN was largely a riverine and littoral force. However, by the 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift towards a more forward-oriented foreign and security policy, the leaders of the Chinese military were freed from worrying over land border disputes, and instead turned their attention towards the seas. This led to the development of the People's Liberation Army Navy into a green-water navy by 2009. Before the 1990s the PLAN had traditionally played a subordinate role to the People's Liberation Army Ground Force.
Type 342 is a centimeter wave, mono-pulse tracking radar for HQ-61 SAM. The radar was installed on Type 053K Jiangdong class frigate. [1] Each radar is capable of engage a single target, and a maximum of three Type 342 radars can be installed on Type 053K frigate. [1] Type 342 has been replaced by more advanced Type 345, as in the case onboard Type 053H2G frigate.
The Type 345 (MR35) fire-control radar system is used to guide the HQ-7 short-range surface-to-air missile. The system is installed on many modern, and retrofitted Chinese navy ships.
The Type 053H2G were Chinese frigates that entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in the 1990s. They were later variants of the Type 053 frigate family, and were the PLAN's first multi-role frigates. Only 4 units were built before the class was superseded by the more capable Type 053H3 Jiangwei II class
