Chinese Naval Shipyard restarts mass production of Luyang III class guided missile destroyers.

According to information published by People's Daily Online on August 24, 2022, with five Type 052D destroyers allegedly spotted under construction at the Dalian Shipyard, China is said to have restarted the mass production of this type of warship.
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PLA Navy's Type 052D destroyer Kunming (Picture source: Chinese MoD)

Since China aims to basically complete the modernization of its national defense and armed forces by 2035, including the development of a blue-water navy, to match the country's international status and better defend its interests, it is not unexpected if China is indeed building more advanced warships, particularly amid the current turbulent global security situation, analysts said.

About the Type 052D destroyer

The Type 052D destroyer (Luyang III-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. She is equipped with Type 346A AESA and Type 518 L-band radar. It is also equipped with both variable depth (VDS) and linear towed array sonar.

The VDS is deployed through a hinged opening in the transom by a hydraulic lifting mechanism. The VDS body is a streamlined fairing fitted with Y-shaped hydrodynamic vanes for towing stability.

The powerplant is a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system with two 28-megawatt (38,000 hp) QC-280 gas turbines and two 6 MW (8,000 hp) MTU 20V 956TB92 diesel engines. The machinery drives two shafts for a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

The Type 52D is the first Chinese surface combatant 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 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.

A stretched variant, commonly and unofficially referred to as Type 052DL, has a flight deck extended by four metres (13 ft 1 in), and an "anti-stealth radar". The extended flight deck is likely intended for the Harbin Z-20 helicopter. The variant was in production by 2018.