As China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) continues in its expansion in an effort to become the pre-eminent power in the Asia-Pacific region, the bewildering pace of development of warship classes sees vessel designs quickly evolved as needed – or discarded as required.
One such example of this type of design evolution has been seen with the PLAN’s Type 052D guided missile destroyers (DDG) – also known as the Nato designation Luyang III class – which are split into two clear batches, with the latest Mod III being five metres longer (162m) due to an extended flight deck.
According to information release by the US Office of Naval Intelligence in 2024, the PLAN had 12 Mod III vessels in service at the time, with more under construction. Of the older non-stretched variants, 13 Luyang III-class Type 052D were recorded as being operational.
In context, the fleet of around 25 Type 052D destroyers alone is nearly double that of the Royal Navy’s entire surface combatant force, frigates included. The first-in-class, Kunming, was commissioned into service in March 2014.
In detail: Type 052D/Luyang III
The Type 052D DDG was a development from the Type 052C design, the latter of which was a six-hull run that represented the culmination of a generation of Chinese naval technology.
However, the Type 052D is a different beast, particularly the latest extended version, incorporated a 64-cell vertical launch system, larger main gun (130mm compared to the 100mm of the C), and an additional 24-cell HQ-10 short-range surface-to-air missile launcher.
Rather than carry its anti-ship missiles via hull-mounted canisters, the Type 052D embarks a range of munitions that can be fired from the VLS, including the YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missile thought to have a range of up to 500km. In addition, two Type 7424B triple torpedo tubes are fitted for launching Yu-7 torpedoes, a munition that entered PLAN service in the 1990s.
The Type 052D incorporates improved design, with its layout slightly different from that of the earlier Type 052C, as its superstructure inclined for reduced radar cross-section.
The sensor fit has the class equipped with the Type 346A multifunction active phased array (AESA) radar, a Type 364 altitude and surface search radar, a Type 366 surface search and targeting radar, a Type 517H air-search radar, a Type 760 navigation radar, a Type 349A fire-control radar, and a Type 754 helicopter control radar.
Further sensor fits include the MGK-335MS-E hull-mounted sonar, towed array sonar (TAS), variable depth sonar (VDS), Type IR-17 optronic system, and jammers.
Propulsion of the Type 052D class is in a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) layout, integrating two QC-280 gas turbines and, interestingly, two European MTU 20V 956TB92 diesel engines. The class typically employs diesel engines for economical low-speed cruising, while the gas turbines are used for high-speed cruising, running to a maximum speed of 30k.
How good is China’s Type 052D?
Displacing around 7,500 tonnes and around 160m in length, the Type 052D is broadly similar in dimensions to the UK’s Type 45 air defence destroyers, and comparable in terms of weapons outfit, particularly for anti-air warfare.
The more likely real-world contest would see the Type 052Ds pitched against the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class DDGs, particularly the Flight IIA and latest Flight III variants. The Arleigh Burke’s are heavier (around 9,500 tonnes), but slightly shorter than the extended Type 052D (~156m).
The Flight III’s AN/SPY-6(V)1 AESA 3D radar is a highly advanced system, incorporating ballistic missile detection capability. Missile composition is probably superior to the Type 052D, with a total of 96-cells in VLS, loading the full range of RIM-series anti-surface and anti-air missiles.
However, consider the pace of development, and the incoming Type 052D replacement, the 15,000 tonne Type 055 cruiser, and it is possible that the next generational leap from the PLAN will see its surface combatants surpass those of the US Navy.
A December 2024 blog post from the UK-based think tank, the International Institute of Strategic Studies, said that US Navy Arleigh Burke DDGs were being built at a rate of 1.6 per year, compared to 3.1 Type 052D vessels produced per annum in China.
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