China has launched five warships in December 2019 including Type 056A Type 052D Type 055 missile destroyers and frigates.

Since the beginning of December 2019, the Chinese navy has launched five warships including two Type 056A missile corvettes, two Type 052D guided missile destroyers and one Type 055 guided missile destroyer. In December 2019, China has also commissioned into service its second aircraft carrier, Shandong.

Chinese Navy Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette. (Picture source Twitter account LoongNaval)

China is on the process to modernize its Naval Forces and increases the number of warships that will enter in services in the next few months. According to a report from the U.S. Congress on Chinese naval modernization, China will acquire a wide array of naval platforms and weapon including anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), submarines, surface ships, aircraft, unmanned vehicles (UVs), and supporting C4ISR (command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems. China’s naval modernization effort also includes improvements in maintenance and logistics, doctrine, personnel quality, education and training, and exercises.

The Type 056A Jiangdao-class corvette has been designed and built for patrol and escorts operations in the exclusive economic zones of China within 200 nautical miles from the Chinese coastline. Type 056A is an improved variant of the Type 056 class corvette intended to perform anti-submarine warfare (ASW). In addition to the Type 056's bow sonar, the Type 056A ships are provided with a towed sonar array and variable depth sonar (VDS).

The weapon systems of the Type 56A include YJ-83 anti-ship missiles that have been removed and replaced by a 2x4 multi-barrel rocket launcher to engage submerged submarines. Besides, the weapon system comprises a PJ26 76mm naval gun, two PJ17 30mm cannons, a single 8-cell HQ-10 air-defense system (eight FL-3000N surface-to-air missiles) and 2x3 torpedo tubes filled with Yu-7 or Yu-8 torpedoes.

Chinese Navy Type 052D Luyang III- class guided missile destroyer. (Picture source Sputnik)

The Type 052D (NATO/OSD Luyang III-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force.

Type 052D destroyers are fitted with the latest generation of Chinese phased array radar. The four arrays on each vessel are larger (and likely more powerful) than those found on the previous generation Type 052C destroyers. The size of these new arrays explains the slightly modified design of the bridge structure.

The Type 52D is the first Chinese surface combatant warship 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. The VLS is reportedly an implementation of the GJB 5860-2006 standard. The VLS may fire the extended-range variant of the HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, and CY-5 anti-submarine missiles. Type 052D is also fitted with a new, larger 130mm main gun.

Type 55 guided missile destroyer (Source Picture Chinamil)

The Type 55 is guided missile destroyer built indigenously by Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It is designed to perform long-range air defence, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), electronic warfare (EW), land and maritime strike, escort, long-range patrol and surveillance missions.

The forward and aft decks of the Type 55 is fitted with up to 128 vertical launching system (VLS) cells arranged in two silos of 64 each. The ship is also armed with YJ-18A anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and YJ-100 long-range ASCMs, as well as HQ-10 short-range surface to air missiles (SAMs) and HHQ-9B long-range SAMs.

The Type 55 is also armed with main gun an H/PJ-38 130mm dual-purpose naval gun located on the bow deck. For close air defence against low-flying fixed/rotary-wing aircraft, boats and small craft, coastal targets, and floating mines, the ship is armed with a H/PJ-11 30mm close-in weapon system (CIWS).

For anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the Type 55 is equipped with Yu-8 anti-submarine rockets (ASROCs), and Yu-7 torpedoes launched from two triple torpedo tubes.