Chinese destroyer Hefei (174)

For other ships with the same name, see Chinese ship Hefei.

Hefei on 25 May 2016.
History
China
Name	Hefei
Namesake	Hefei (合肥)
Builder	Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai
Launched	1 July 2013
Commissioned	12 December 2015
Identification	Pennant number: 174
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 052D destroyer
Displacement	7,500 tons (full load)
Length	157 m (515 ft)
Beam	17 m (56 ft)
Draught	6 m (20 ft)
Propulsion	Combined diesel or gas
Sensors and processing systems	Type 346 radar Type 518 radar Variable depth sonar Towed array sonar
Armament	1 x 130 mm gun 1 × HQ-10 short-range SAM 24-cell launcher 64 cell VLS HHQ-9 SAM YJ-18 SSM CY-5 ASW Type 730 CIWS
Aircraft carried	Helicopter
Aviation facilities	Hangar Helipad

Hefei (174) is a Type 052D destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 12 December 2015. ^[1]

Development and design

The basic ship type and layout of the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer is the same as that of the Type 052C destroyer, but compared to the earlier Type 052C destroyer, the Type 052D superstructure has a larger inclination angle and provides better stealth performance. At the same time, the 052C helicopter hangar is located The left side of the hull axis was changed to the center axis of the ship on Type 052D; a pair of small boat storage compartments were added on both sides of the hangar, similar to the design on the Type 054A frigate.

The close in weapon system is composed of a H/PJ-12 short-range defense weapon system located in front of the bridge and a 24 Hongqi-10 air defense missile system located on the top of the hangar, which is combined to form a ladder interception. The original 100mm naval gun was replaced by a higher height and better stealth model H/PJ45 naval gun. On May 13, 2019, the extended version of the 052DL was exposed. The hull of the 052DL is basically the same as the 052D, but the helicopter deck is lengthened to prepare for the Zhi-20 to board the ship. ^[2]

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. ^[3] The VLS is reportedly an implementation of the GJB 5860-2006 standard. ^[4] The VLS may fire the extended-range variant of the HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, ^[5] and CY-5 anti-submarine missiles. ^[6]

Construction and career

Hefei was the third ship of the class and launched on 1 July 2013 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. Commissioned on 12 December 2015. ^[7]

Hefei and few other PLA Navy ships conducted an exercise about 360 km south of Yonakunijima and was spotted by JS Akizuki on 25 May 2016.

8 February 2018, Hefei transits the South China Sea. She was surveilling the USS Carl Vinson's task force operating nearby.

On 25 May 2016, Honghu, Lanzhou and Hefei were seen conducting a replenishment exercise in the Sea of Japan. ^[8]

On 26 August 2024, Hefei arrived at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a formal visit, accompanied by Wuzhi Shan and Qilian Shan . After completing the official engagement, the three vessels are scheduled to depart the island on 29 August 2024 and conduct a passing exercise with a Sri Lankan naval vessel off the coast of Colombo. ^[9]

References

1. "New missile destroyer joins South China Sea Fleet". eng.mod.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11.
2. Releases, DP Press. "China Launches 23rd And 24th Type 052D Guided-Missile Destroyers". DefPost. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
3. Li: page 44
4. Wang, Weixing, ed. (4 September 2012). "谜一样的战舰 从052D驱逐舰看中舰艇系统" [A Ship of Mystery: The Shipborne Systems of Type 052D] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2012-10-11.
5. China Military Power: Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win (PDF) (Report). United States Defense Intelligence Agency. 2019. p. 70. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
6. Wong, Kelvin (2017). Undersea dragon: Chinese ASW capabilities advance (PDF) (Report). Jane's 360. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
7. "New missile destroyer joins South China Sea Fleet". eng.mod.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11.
8. "防衛省・自衛隊：防衛省ウェブサイトのＨＴＴＰＳへの切り替えのお知らせ" (PDF). www.mod.go.jp. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
9. "A trio of Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy warships arrive in Colombo". Sri Lanka Navy. 26 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.