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Naval
Forces News - China |
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Newly
Built
PLAN Type 052D Destroyers Getting Fitted with Larger H/PJ-11 CIWS |
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Based on pictures that have been just released by Chinese spotters,
it appears that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy)
next in-line Type
052D Destroyers (NATO reporting name Luyang III class) will
be fitted with the H/PJ-11 close-in weapon system (CIWS) instead of
the smaller H/PJ-12 currently fitted on existing vessels of the class. |
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 Chinese spotter photo showing a H/PJ-11 CIWS fitted on a Type 052D Destroyer currently under construction (antenna and sensors not yet fitted) at Changxing Jiangnan naval shipyard. |
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 Archive picture showing a H/PJ-11 CIWS firing aboard PLAN aircraft carrier Liaoning |
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The H/PJ-12 seven-barreled 30mm CIWS (sometimes referred
as Type 730 which is the export designation.) is present on the first
four destroyers in the series already commissioned (as well as on a
few other hulls currently at various stages of completion). It is estimated
that the H/PJ-12 is getting replaced by the much larger H/PJ-11 eleven-barreled
30mm CIWS (export designation Type 1130) starting with the ninth hull
under construction at Changxing Jiangnan naval shipyard (near Shanghai)
and the third hull currently being built at Dalian shipyard (Dalian
Shipbuilding Industry Company member of CSIC - China Shipbuilding Industry
Corporation).
The new H/PJ-11 appears to be an evolution of H/PJ-12. It has an increased rate of fire (local media have reported a 10,000 rounds per minute firing rate). This type of CIWS was so far exclusively fitted on the Liaoning aircraft carrier and the latest few Type 054A Frigates. Chinese TV reported that following studies and testing, H/PJ-11 is able to intercept incoming anti-ship missiles up to a speed of Mach 4 with a 96% success rate. There may be other modifications or upgrade on the latest Type 052D Destroyers (or this may even indicate a new batch or mod.) but this is impossible to confirm at this time. The installation of the larger CIWS shows that there are plenty of growth margin (in terms or weight, space and power supply) on this type of destroyers. |
 PLAN Type 052D Destroyer firing with the H/PJ-12 30mm CIWS |
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 Type 052D Destroyer Kunming (172), first ship of the class, underway (note the H/PJ-12 CIWS behind the H/PJ-38 130mm main gun) |
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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 PLAN
recently commissioned the
fourth unit with the South Sea Fleet.
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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