Type 052B destroyer

Guangzhou (168) in Cádiz in 2007
Class overview
Builders	Jiangnan Shipyard
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force
Preceded by	Type 051B Type 956E / 956EM
Succeeded by	Type 051C
Built	2001–2004
In service	July 2004–present
Planned	2
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics
Type	Guided-missile destroyer
Displacement	7,000 tons [1]
Length	155 m (509 ft) [1]
Beam	17 m (56 ft) [1]
Draught	6 m (20 ft) [1]
Propulsion	Combined diesel or gas [1] 2 × DA80 gas turbines (35.7 MW) [1] 2 × MTU 1163 TB 83 diesel engines (10 MW) [1]
Speed	29 kn (54 km/h; 33 mph) [1]
Range	4500 nm at 14 kn [1]
Complement	280 [1]
Sensors & processing systems	Fregat MAE-3 (Top Plate) 3D air search radar [1] Type 364 search radar [1] Front-Dome fire control radar [1] Mineral-ME (Band Stand) fire control radar [1] Type 344 fire control radar [1] Type 347G(2) fire control radar [1] Bow-mounted sonar [1] Towed array sonar [1]
Electronic warfare & decoys	SRW 210A ESM [1] Type 984 jammer [1] Type 985 jammer [1]
Armament	16 × YJ-83 anti-ship missiles [1] 2 × Shtil-1 single-arm surface-to-air missile launchers (total 48 missiles) [1] 1 × H/PJ87 100 mm main gun [2] [3] 2 × Type 730 CIWS [1] 4 × multiple rocket launchers [1] 2 × triple B515 324mm antisubmarine torpedo tubes (Yu-7) [1]
Aircraft carried	1 helicopter: Harbin Z-9 or Kamov Ka-28 [1]
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and hangar [1]

The Type 052B (NATO/OSD Luyang I-class destroyer ^[4] ) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN). The Type 052B was China's first modern destroyer design ^{[5] [6]} and the first Chinese design to incorporate true medium-range air defence capability in the form of Russian Shtil-1 (improved navalized Buk, NATO designation SA-N-12) surface-to-air missiles (SAM). ^[7]

Two ships - Guangzhou and Wuhan - were begun in 2001 and commissioned in July and December 2004 respectively. ^{[1] [8]}

Programme

In the early 2000's, China pursued multiple - and sometimes concurrent - programmes to acquire modern destroyers, purchasing Sovremennys from Russia and constructing the Type 052B, Type 051C, and Type 052C. ^[9] These ships also represented steps to develop adequate air defense capabilities by adopting Russian air defense technology.; ^[10] the 25-km range Uragan (navalized Buk, NATO designation SA-N-7) on the Sovremenny; the 35-km range Shtil-1 on the Type 052B; long-range area air defense with the 150-km range Rif-M (navalized S-300, NATO designation SA-N-20) on the Type 051C; ^[7] and finally the Chinese 100-km range HHQ-9 (S-300 derivative) on the Type 052D. ^[11]

The Type 052B's air defence capabilities were obsolete upon entering service when compared to contemporary American and Japanese designs. ^[12] Nonetheless it represented a considerable general improvement over previous Chinese warships ^[5] and was the precursor to later Chinese air warfare destroyers. ^{[5] [12]}

Design

The hull is based on the Type 051B destroyer with added stealth features. ^[1]

Ships of Class

Number	Pennant number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
1	168	广州 / Guangzhou	Jiangnan	25 May 2002 [8]	15 July 2004 [8]	South Sea Fleet	Active
2	169	武汉 / Wuhan		9 September 2002 [8]	December 2004 [8]		Active

Gallery

• 
  Type 052B destroyer Guangzhou (168) in Saint Petersburg, Russia
• 
  052B in the South China Sea
• 
  Wuhan (169) in the western Pacific

See also

• List of naval ship classes in service

References

1. Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. p. 136. ISBN   978-0710631435.
2. "China Steals Another Russian Success". www.strategypage.com. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
3. Bussert, James C. (1 November 2015). "China Develops Aircraft Carrier Group Leader". Afcea International. AFCEA. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
4. United States Office of the Secretary of Defense (24 April 2014). Annual Report To Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2014 (Report).
5. Kirchberger (2015): page 195
6. McDevitt (2017): page 57
7. Schwartz (2015): page 26
8. Jane's Fighting Ships, 2023-24 Edition, ISBN 978-0-7106-3428 3, page 141.
9. Kirchberger (2015): page 193
10. Schwartz (2015): pages 25
11. Schwartz (2015): pages 26-28
12. McDevitt (2017): page 58

Bibliography

• Kirchberger, Sarah (2015). Assessing China's Naval Power: Technological Innovation, Economic Constraints, and Strategic Implications. Global Power Shift. Springer. ISBN   978-3-662-47127-2.
• McDevitt, Michael (2017). "The Modern PLA Navy Destroyer Force". CSMI Red Book. 14. United States Naval War College: 55–65. ISBN   978-1-935352-45-7 . Retrieved 28 April 2019.
• Schwartz, Paul (August 2015). Russia's Contribution to China's Surface Warfare Capabilities: Feeding the Dragon. Global Power Shift. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-4422-5879-2.