Breaking news
Jiangnan Shipyard in China Launched the Ninth Type 052D Destroyer for the PLAN.
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Naval Forces News - China |
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Jiangnan Shipyard in China Launched the Ninth Type 052D Destroyer for
the PLAN |
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Pictures
published by spotters in China show that the People's Liberation Army
Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) ninth Type
052D Destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang III class) was launched
on December 28 2015 at the Jiangnan-Changxing naval shipyard near Shanghai. |
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 The Ninth Type 052D Destroyer launched at Jiangnan-Changxing Naval Shipyard in December 2015 |
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| Three Type 052D Destroyers were launched in 2015
and this is the eigth vessel of the type to be launched by Jiangnan-Changxing
shipyard (the ninth unit in total). Chinese spotters published on the
same day pictures showing blocks/modules of the tenth Type 052D ready
to be assembled in the dry construction dock.
The first vessel of of the class, Kunming (hull number 172), was commissioned in March last year. 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 this year. Hefei was launched at the Jiangnan-Changxing naval shipyard on July 2nd 2013 and commissioned in December this year. Meanwhile, as we reported last month, the fourth Type 052D Destroyer started sea trials (it should be commissioned in early 2016) and the eight vessel of the type was launched at the Dalian naval shipyard (it is the first unit for this shipyard). |
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 Type 052D Destroyer Kunming (172), first ship of the class, underway |
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At least 12 Type 052D Destroyers are expected to
be built for the PLAN, ten of them by Jiangnan-Changxing
naval shipyard near Shanghai and two by Dalian naval shipyard
in Northeast 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 |