By Wei Liqun
魏利群
The large unmanned combat vessel "Orca" adopts a trimaran design, a shape from science fiction.
“虎鲸”号无人作战艇采用三体船体设计，造型科幻。
BEIJING, Nov. 18 -- The 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) provides a window for observing China's latest breakthroughs in military technology. At the airshow, apart from new equipment in aviation and aerospace, weapons and equipment in the fields of land, sea and electronic information also become the focus of attention. Among them, the large unmanned combat vessel "Orca", which made its debut this time, is one of the exhibits that have attracted the most attention both domestically and internationally.
本届航展是观察中国军工技术新突破的一个重要窗口，除航空航天领域的新装备外，包括陆军、海军和电子信息等领域的武器装备同样备受瞩目。其中，首次公开亮相的大型无人作战艇“虎鲸”号就是国内外最为关注的装备之一。
According to the official source, the "Orca" is a 58-meter long, 23-meter wide, 4-meter deep, and 500-tonne high-speed stealth unmanned surface combat vessel. It is equipped with a diesel-electric dual-mode propulsion system, providing it with a maximum speed of 40 knots (74 kilometers per hour), and a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles(7,400 kilometers). As an autonomous combat vessel, it is like a mobile fortress on the sea which is capable of undertaking tasks such as beyond visual range (BVR) fire strike, air and missile defense, and anti-submarine search and strike.
官方公开的资料显示，“虎鲸”号是一款500吨级、总长58米、型宽23米、型深4米的高速隐身水面无人作战艇，采用柴油和电力双推进系统。最高时速可达 40 节（74 公里/小时），具备超过4,000海里（7400 公里）的航程。作为一种自主作战装备，它可以进行超视距火力打击、防空反导以及潜艇搜索和打击等任务，可以说是海上的一座移动堡垒。
From the first sea trial in 2022 to the public debut in 2024, China built the "Orca" in only two years. This indicates that China has solved the problems plaguing large unmanned vessel development including large-scale platforms, modular functions, specialized payloads, diversified power sources and operational method coordination. It also demonstrates that China's unmanned vessel design capability is approaching the "realm of freedom".
从2022年的首次试航，到2024年的公开亮相，2年时间里就能打造出“虎鲸”号，表明中国已经解决平台大型化、功能模块化、载荷专用化、动力来源多样化及作战方式协同等大型无人艇研制方面的难题，中国无人艇的设计能力正在靠近“自由王国”。
Getting rid of the human physiological limitations, the "Orca" can continue high-intensity operations and sail on the high seas for a long time, thereby effectively releasing the burden on personnel, freeing manpower from heavy, dangerous or boring tasks and concentrating resources on more critical strategic missions. Such platforms can regularly carry out non-military and military operations of low to medium intensity, such as patrol and guard around strategic points, base ports, islands and reefs, and key waterways.
由于不受人员生理的限制，“虎鲸”号可在高强度作业中持续运转，长期在公海上航行，有效缓解人力负担，将人员从繁重、危险或枯燥的任务中解放出来，集中资源于更加关键的战略任务。此类平台可在海上战略要地、基地港口、岛礁和关键航道周边常态化执行巡逻警戒等非军事和中低等强度的军事作战等任务。
The unmanned vessel has the following three prominent features:
该无人艇有以下三个最为显著的特征。
The first feature is the large tonnage. The "Orca" is a large unmanned vessel with a displacement of 500 tonnes, which means that it has excellent self-sustaining capability and outstanding performance in endurance, sailing stability and resistance to waves. At the same time, the large tonnage allows it to install more combat modules, incorporating the anti-ship, air defense, anti-submarine and other tactical capabilities of large surface vessels. Furthermore, relevant modules can be added and removed according to different needs.
首先是吨位大。“虎鲸”号是大型无人艇。该艇排水量在500吨级，这意味着它具有出色的自持能力，能够在续航能力、航行操稳性和抗浪性上表现优异。同时，大吨位使得其能够加装多个战斗模块，兼具大型水面舰艇所具有的反舰、防空、反潜等战术任务能力，并且可以按照需求进行相关模块的增减。
It can be seen that the "Orca" is equipped with four phased array radars and a general-purpose vertical launching system. It can carry rockets, anti-ship missiles, air defense missiles and remote-control weapon stations, and can conduct coordinated operations with the Z-5B/G unmanned helicopter onboard it to achieve powerful firepower integration on the small platform. There is also a small docking bay at the stern, which can be used to launch and recover small underwater devices or various detection and reconnaissance sensors, such as sonobuoys or radar buoys.
可以看到，“虎鲸”号装有4面相控阵雷达和通用垂直发射系统，可搭载火箭弹、反舰导弹、防空导弹和遥控武器站，并能与搭载的Z-5B/G型无人直升机协同作战，实现小型平台的强大火力集成。该艇的尾部甚至还配有小型坞舱，可用于布放和回收小型水下设备，或各类探测和侦察传感器，如声呐浮标或雷达浮标等。
The second feature is the stealth capability. Large vessels and anti-submarine patrol aircraft pose main detection threats to unmanned vessels like "Orca". The high-level radar-wave stealth design provides such unmanned vessels with detection advantages over large ships under long-range conditions, whether beyond visual range or not, and concealment advantages over detection radars of anti-submarine patrol aircraft under certain support conditions.
第二是能隐身。像“虎鲸”号这类无人艇主要面临的探测威胁主要来自大型舰艇、反潜巡逻机，在经过高度雷达波隐身设计后，该类艇可在视距外、视距内远距离条件下取得对抗大型舰艇的探测优势，而对于反潜巡逻机探测雷达则可在一定支援条件下建立隐蔽性优势。
The third feature is the excellent dynamical structure. Seen from the design, the "Orca" adopts a unique trimaran structure, giving it excellent stability and enabling it to sail steadily under harsh sea conditions. Moreover, it is equipped with a diesel-electric dual-mode propulsion system that provides enough power and stability to ensure not only fast response but also operation in low noise mode, making the enemy more difficult to detect it.
第三是结构动力优异。从设计角度来看，“虎鲸”号无人艇采用了独特的三体船体结构，赋予其卓越的稳定性，使得“虎鲸”号能够在恶劣海况下稳健航行。同时，该艇配备了柴电双模推进系统，既能提供足够的动力、稳定性，确保快速反应，又能在低噪音模式下运行，降低敌方探测难度。
Electronic equipment such as phased array radars and photoelectric detection devices are integrated into the mast of "Orca".
桅杆集成了相控阵雷达和光电探测设备等电子设备。
The helicopter deck of "Orca" can carry an unmanned helicopter.
直升机甲板可搭载一架无人直升机。
Relevant equipment can be placed in the stern cabin of "Orca" according to different needs.
尾舱可根据需求搭载相关设备。
