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Naval
Forces News - China |
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PLAN's
Fourth Type 052D Kunming-class Destroyer to be Commissioned Soon |
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China's fourth Type
052D guided-missile destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang III
class) with hull number 175 should be commissioned with the People's
Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) soon said Cao Weidong, a
Chinese military expert, in an interview with China Center Television. |
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 The fourth Type 052D Destroyer (hull number 175) in sea trials near Yulin Naval Base located in the Yalong Bay (city of Sanya) on Hainan island. (Picture taken in June 2016) |
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There was already speculation that the new destroyer was ready for delivery,
since a number of photos circulated online showed a ship closely resembling
the previous 052D guided-missile destroyers berthed at a harbor with
hull number 175 painted on its body. Cao confirmed that this guess was
reasonable because ships generally get put into trial maritime operation
as soon as they receive hull numbers. The ship will be delivered to
the PLAN pending a successful trial operation, Cao added. Three existing 052D destroyers have already been deployed as part of the South Sea Fleet. The first vessel of of the class, Kunming (hull number 172), was commissioned in March 2014. Changsha (hull number 173) , the second Type 052D Destroyer to join the PLAN, was launched just four months after head of the class Kunming but was commissioned much later, in August 2015. Hefei (hull number 174) was launched at the Changxing Jiangnan naval shipyard near Shanghai on July 2nd 2013 and was commissioned in December 2015. The first three ships of the class all belong to the PLAN's South Sea Fleet and are homeported in Yulin Naval Base located in the Yalong Bay (city of Sanya) on Hainan island. It should be the same for the fourth unit (hull number 175) since its sea trials are taking place at that same location. |
 The third Type 052D Destroyer (hull number 174) during an exercise in the South China Sea |
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At
least 12 Type 052D Destroyers are expected to be built for the PLAN, most
of them (80%) by Changxing Jiangnan naval shipyard near Shanghai (the
rest at Dalian shipyard in North East China). The Type 052D Kunming class (Nato designation: Luyang III) is the latest generation of guided-missile destroyer (DDG) of the Chinese Navy. It is based on its predecessor, the Type 052C DDG and likely shares the same hull. However the Type 052D incorporates many improvements in terms of design as well as sensors and weapons fit. This new class of vessel is considered as the Chinese equivalent to the American AEGIS destroyers. Link to Type 052D Kunming Class Destroyer technical datasheet |
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