Type 052D destroyer

The Type 052D destroyer (NATO/OSD reporting name: Luyang III-class destroyer)^[13] is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and currently one of the most numerous principal surface combatant classes in service of the PLAN Surface Force.

Guiyang (119) in the East China Sea
Class overview
Name	Type 052D destroyer
Builders	Jiangnan Shipyard Dalian Shipyard
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Type 052C
Succeeded by	Type 055 destroyer
Built	February 2012–present [1]
In service	March 2014–present[2]
Building	6 (August 2022)[3]
Active	25 (August 2022)[3]
General characteristics
Type	Guided-missile destroyer
Displacement	7,500 tons (full load)[4]
Length	Initial variant: 156 m (511 ft 10 in)[5] - 157 m (515 ft 1 in)[4] Extended flight deck variant: 161 m (528 ft 3 in)[6]
Beam	17 m (55 ft 9 in)[4] - 18 m (59 ft 1 in)[5]
Draught	6 m (19 ft 8 in)[4]
Propulsion	CODOG[4] 2 × QC-280 gas turbines[4] 2 × diesels[4]
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)[4]
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)[4]
Sensors and processing systems	Type 346A[7] multifunction 3D AESA radar Type 518[8] air search radar Type 364[4] surface search radar Type 344[4] main gun fire control radar Type 760[4] navigation radar Variable depth sonar[9] Towed array sonar[9]
Electronic warfare & decoys	NRJ-6A[4]
Armament	1 × 130 mm gun[10] 1 × HQ-10 short-range SAM 24-cell launcher 64 cell VLS[11] (GJB 5860-2006 standard[12]) HHQ-9 SAM[13] YJ-18 SSM[13] CJ-10 LACM[14] CY-5 ASM[9] Type 730 CIWS[4]
Aircraft carried	Helicopter[6]
Aviation facilities	Hangar[6] Landing pad[6]

The Type 052D is a larger variant of the Type 052C, and has flat-paneled active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar,^[10] The Type 052D uses a canister-type (instead of 052C's revolver-type) vertical launching system (VLS),^[11] which is not limited to surface-to-air missiles, making it China's first dedicated multi-role destroyer.^[11]

Etymology

The Type 052Ds are fitted with the four-panel Type 346A (NATO reporting name: Dragon Eye) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system.^[7] Chinese media informally calls the Type 052D the Chinese Aegis (Chinese: 中华神盾; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Shéndùn), portraying it as a peer of contemporary United States Navy ships equipped with the Aegis Combat System.^[15] The appearance of the Type 052D, with flat-panelled radar and canister-based vertical launch system, has encouraged this informal use.^[10]

Design

Sensors

The Type 052D is equipped with Type 346A^[7] AESA and Type 518 L-band radar.^[8]

The Type 052D is also equipped with both variable depth (VDS) and linear towed array sonar. The VDS is deployed through a hinged opening in the transom by a hydraulic lifting mechanism. The VDS body is a streamlined fairing fitted with Y-shaped hydrodynamic vanes for towing stability.^[9]

Armament

The Type 052D is the first Chinese surface combatant to use canister-based universal VLS, as opposed to the concentric type VLS carried aboard earlier vessels. 64 cells are carried, 32 forward and 32 aft.^[11] The VLS is reportedly an implementation of the GJB 5860-2006 standard.^[12] The VLS may fire the extended-range variant of the HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles,^[13] CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles,^[14] and CY-5 anti-submarine missiles.^[9]

The Type 052D has a 130 mm (5.1 in) main gun,^[10] and a 7-barrelled Type 730 close-in weapon system (CIWS).^[4]

Data links

The Type 052D may be using the joint service integrated datalink system (JSIDLS) and naval common tactical data link (NCTDL). JSIDLS is equivalent to Link 16 and was certified in June 2012. NCTDL is a next-generation two-way encrypted data link with support for electro-optic and laser pod UAVs; it replaces the older HN-900.^[16]

Propulsion

The powerplant is a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system with two QC-280 gas turbines and two diesel engines.^[4]

The machinery drives two shafts for a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).^[4]

Stretched variant

A stretched variant, commonly and unofficially referred to as Type 052DL, has a flight deck extended by four metres (13 ft 1 in).^[17] The extended flight deck is likely intended for the Harbin Z-20 helicopter.^[17]

The variant was under construction by 2016, with the first unit (Zibo) launched in 2018 and commissioned in 2020. Construction of further units to this design are continuing at the rate of three or four vessels per year.^[6][18]

Ships of class

The first three batches of the 052D Class totalled 30 ships. The fourth batch of 10 ships is currently under construction. ^{[citation needed]}

Pennant no.	Name	Namesake	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
Type 052D
172[19]	昆明 / Kunming[19]	Provincial capital of Yunnan, Kunming	Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd., Changxingdao[19]	28 August 2012[18]	21 March 2014[2]	South Sea Fleet[2]	Active[2]
173[19]	长沙 / Changsha[19]	Provincial capital of Hunan, Changsha	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[19]	18 December 2012[18]	12 August 2015[2]	South Sea Fleet[2]	Active[2]
174[2]	合肥 / Hefei[2]	Provincial capital of Anhui, Hefei	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	1 March 2013[18]	12 December 2015[2]	South Sea Fleet[2]	Active[2]
175[20]	银川 / Yinchuan[20]	Regional capital of Ningxia, Yinchuan	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	28 March 2014[18]	12 July 2016[20]	South Sea Fleet[20]	Active[20]
117[21]	西宁 / Xining[21]	Provincial capital of Qinghai, Xining	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	26 August 2014[18]	22 January 2017[21]	North Sea Fleet[21]	Active[21]
154[22]	厦门 / Xiamen[22]	City of Xiamen	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	30 December 2014[18]	10 June 2017[22]	East Sea Fleet[22]	Active[22]
118[23]	乌鲁木齐 / Ürümqi[23]	Regional capital of Xinjiang, Ürümqi	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	7 July 2015[18]	January 2018[18]	North Sea Fleet[18]	Active[23]
119[24]	贵阳 / Guiyang[24]	Provincial capital of Guizhou, Guiyang	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[24]	28 November 2015[24][18]	22 February 2019[24][18]	North Sea Fleet[24]	Active[24]
155[23]	南京 / Nanjing[23]	Provincial capital of Jiangsu, Nanjing	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	28 December 2015[18]	April 2018[18]	East Sea Fleet[18]	Active[18]
161[23]	呼和浩特 / Hohhot[23]	Regional capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	26 December 2016[18]	12 January 2019[25][18]	South Sea Fleet[18]	Active[25][18]
131[23]	太原 / Taiyuan[23]	Provincial capital of Shanxi, Taiyuan	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	28 July 2016[18]	3 December 2018[18]	East Sea Fleet[18]	Active[26]
120[23]	成都 / Chengdu[23]	Provincial capital of Sichuan, Chengdu	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[18]	3 August 2016[18]	22 November 2019[27][18]	North Sea Fleet[27]	Active[27]
121[23]	齐齐哈尔 / Qiqihar[23]	City of Qiqihar	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[28]	26 June 2017[28]	14 August 2020[18]	North Sea Fleet[29]	Active[29]
Type 052D (stretched)
156[30]	淄博 / Zibo[30]	City of Zibo	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[6]	14 August 2018[18]	14 January 2020[31]	East Sea Fleet[31]	Active[30]
122[29]	唐山 / Tangshan[29]	City of Tangshan	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	7 July 2018[18]	14 August 2020[32][18]	North Sea Fleet[29]	Active
132[30]	苏州 / Suzhou[17]	City of Suzhou	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	18 December 2018[18]	January 2021[18]	East Sea Fleet[30]	Active[33]
123[17]	淮南 / Huainan[17]	City of Huainan	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	15 April 2019[18]	February 2021[18]	North Sea Fleet[17]	Active[17]
162[33]	南宁 / Nanning[33]	Provincial capital of Guangxi, Nanning	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	23 February 2019[18]	12 April 2021[33][18]	South Sea Fleet[33]	Active[33]
124	开封 / Kaifeng [zh][18]	City of Kaifeng	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[18]	10 May 2019[18]	16 April 2021[18]	North Sea Fleet[18]	Active
165	湛江 / Zhanjiang [zh][34]	City of Zhanjiang	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[18]	10 May 2019[18]	25 December 2021[18]	South Sea Fleet[18]	Active
164	桂林 / Guilin [zh][35]	City of Guilin	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	26 September 2019[18]	September 2021[18]	South Sea Fleet[18]	Active
133[36]	包头 / Baotou [zh][36]	City of Baotou	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	28 August 2019[18]	28 December 2021[18]	East Sea Fleet[18]	Active[36]
134[37]	绍兴 / Shaoxing [zh][38]	City of Shaoxing (in Zhejiang)	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[18]	26 December 2019[18]	February 2022[18]	East Sea Fleet[18]	Active[38]
163	焦作 / Jiaozuo [zh][39]	City of Jiaozuo	Jiangnan Shipyard, Changxingdao[18]	28 December 2019[18]	January 2022[18]	South Sea Fleet[18]	Active
157	丽水 / Lishui [zh][40]	City of Lishui	Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company[18]	30 August 2020[18]	June 2022[18]	East Sea Fleet[18]	Active

Gallery

• 
  Kunming (172) at Changxing Island
• 
  Xiamen (154) on 20 April 2018
• 
  Hefei (174) during a visit to Helsinki in 2017
• 
  Zhanjiang (165) during a visit to Langkawi, Malaysia in 2023

See also

• Arleigh Burke-class destroyer; United States
• Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate; Australia and Spain
• Kolkata-class destroyer; India
• Visakhapatnam-class destroyer; India
• Atago-class destroyer; Japan
• Sejong the Great-class destroyer; South Korea
• Horizon-class destroyer; French/Italy
• Type 45 destroyer; British
• Type 055 destroyer; China