China reportedly launched two new Type 052D guided missile destroyers in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province on March 10, a move analysts said will contribute to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's aim to become a blue-water navy, Liu Xuanzun reports in Global Times.
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The guided-missile destroyer Taiyuan (Hull 131) attached to a destroyer flotilla under the PLA Eastern Theater Command steams in waters of the East China Sea in early November 2021 (Picture source:China Military)
The two warships, believed to be the 27th and the 28th Type 052Ds ordered by the PLA Navy overall, were launched from the Dalian Shipyard, with three additional hulls of the same type still under construction in the yard, news website Wenweipo.com reported, echoed by Liuy Xuanzun. This new batch of Type 052D destroyers could receive major upgrades to their radar systems, Wenweipo.com wrote.
In August 2022, the Dalian Shipyard and the Shanghai-based Jiangnan Changxing Shipyard restarted mass production of the Type 052D destroyer, after 25 vessels of the same class had entered service with the PLA Navy.
According to publicly available reports, the Type 052D is equipped with an advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system dubbed the "Chinese Aegis" and a 64-cell missile vertical launch system capable of firing munitions including surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles, Liu Xuanzun writes.
Some previous Type 052Ds were already built with new anti-stealth radars, extended helicopter flight decks and upgraded propulsion systems, among other changes, compared with the initial ships, media reports said.
The Type 052D guided missile destroyer is a class of guided missile destroyers in service with the Chinese Navy (PLAN). The first ship of the class, the Kunming, was launched in August 2012, and the most recent ship, the Nanning, was launched in January 2021.
Here are some technical details about the Type 052D destroyer:
Dimensions:
Length: 157 meters (515 ft)
Beam: 17 meters (56 ft)
Draft: 6 meters (20 ft)
Displacement: 7,500 tons (full load)
Propulsion:
4 x QC-280 gas turbines, providing a total output of 128,000 horsepower
2 x shafts with controllable pitch propellers
Top speed: 30 knots (56 km/h)
Range: 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Armament:
64-cell vertical launch system for various missile types, including the HHQ-9B long-range air defense missile, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missile, and CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile
1 x H/PJ-38 130mm naval gun
2 x Type 730 CIWS (close-in weapon system)
2 x Type 052D anti-submarine rocket launchers
6 x torpedo tubes
Sensors and electronics:
Type 346A multifunction phased array radar
Type 518 L-band air search radar
Type 364A surface search radar
Type 366 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar
Type 056/349 hull-mounted sonar
4 x Type 1130 30mm remote-controlled guns for close-in defense
Crew: 280 crew members
The Type 052D destroyer is one of the most advanced warships in the Chinese Navy and has been deployed for a range of missions, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and strike warfare.
