Type 052D Batch II

The existence of the Type 052D Batch II destroyer is no longer a secret, but it is the first time that it has obtained authority confirmation from the shipbuilder side of the contract. According to the article, the first ship of this type of ship began construction in August 2017, and now has the conditions for launching. China's latest Type 052D Batch II was launched in July 2018. It is the first stretched variant that is reportedly four meters longer than the original Type 052D.

Local netizens also released information on social platforms that the first 052D Batch II ship was officially launched at the end of June 2018. Based on earlier site photos of the two major shipyards in Jiangnan and Dalian, it can be seen that the Jiangnan plant includes the first ship that has been launched, at least three 052D Batch II destroyers are under construction, and the Dalian plant is at least two under construction. Public information showed that there are about 13 052D Aegis ships, including those that have been delivered and are still under construction. So from the 14th ship, the two major shipyards should build improved 052D Batch II destroyers.

Anti-submarine capability has always been a weak point for China's navy. However, with the service of a large number of emerging warships in the past 10 years, this short point has been gradually supplemented. With the recent exposure of the 052D's latest improved release active towing sonar photo, the ship's anti-submarine capability has been further improved. With the successive launching of the 10,000-ton Type 055 cruiser into service, the future role of 052D in aircraft carrier formations will change from being the main anti-aircraft destroyer to a general destroyer, taking into account anti-submarine and air defense missions, providing all-round protection for aircraft carrier formations.

In July 2018 Jiangnan Shipyard attracted great attention from military fans. Judging from the content introduction, the long-rumored 052E Aegis follow-up improved model had finally been confirmed by the authority. The improved first ship was called "the first ship of a certain model". According to the practice, this may mean that the ship has obtained a new model, such as 052E, but it was the Type 052D Batch II. At the same time, the article also distributes detailed pictures of the hull of shipyard personnel on board. Combining these pictures with relevant satellite imaging pictures released by the "Xinghai Military" forum, the Type 052D Batch II destroyer has not only lengthened the flight deck as previously reported, but also has significant changes in its missile vertical launch system.

The Type 052D Batch II first ship (the model was not yet publicized) built by the Jiangnan Plant was found to have a significantly longer flight deck than the previous 052D Aegis. This has been considered as a preparation for the domestic 10-ton general-purpose helicopter Z-20. From the measurement results of careful netizens through satellite photos, the length of the 052E helicopter deck is is obviously lengthened to about 25 meters. This is obviously to meet the needs of the new generation of carrier-based multi-purpose helicopters of the Zhi-20. The original 052D mainly carried Zhi-9C or Ka-28 shipborne helicopters. However, even if the Z-20 navy type has not reached the ship so fast, the lengthening of the Type 052D Batch II flight deck greatly improved the take-off and landing conditions of the active carrier helicopters.

Of the 64 vertical units of the 052D Aegis ship, only more than 10 units on the bow are "deep pits", that is, more than 8 meters in length, which can be loaded with Hawk-18 anti-ship / land attack cruise missile. The remaining length of more than 40 units, including the rear vertical launcher, can only be loaded with Haihongqi-9 ship-to-air missiles. The change in the vertical launch of the Type 052D Batch II ship is said to have increased the number of "deep pits", which means that it has the ability to load more Hawk-18 missiles than the 052D ship. Such a change in the number of carrier-borne missile types indicates that the operational positioning of the 052E destroyer may also have changed.

In addition to the new sonar, the Type 052D Batch II is likely to wait for the domestic Z-20 anti-submarine helicopter to enter service. Compared to the Z-9 and Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters currently in service, similar to the MH-60R, the Z-20 [aka Copyhawk] anti-submarine type can carry anti-submarine equipment including active towed sonars, sonar buoys, magnetic disparity detectors, etc. The electronic equipment is more advanced, and the number of anti-submarine torpedoes carried has also reached 3, and there is a qualitative leap in both submarine search and offensive capabilities. When used in conjunction with active and passive towing sonars, remote anti-submarine missions can be better accomplished.

On the latest 052D [seen in August 2018], there is an additional retracting hole at the stern of the ship. It is reported that this is for the installation of a new generation of domestic SJG-311 active and passive composite sonar. This is not the first time that this sonar has entered the ship. The same retracting holes have appeared on the 054A and 056A frigates before, and this time it appeared on the 052D.

Towed sonar is often used for remote search because the underwater acoustic components are far away from the hull and are less affected by the hull's own noise. However, due to the continuous service of a series of quiet submarines in the United States, Japan and South Korea, even Vietnam has purchased Kilo-class submarines known as "ocean black holes". The noise of these submarines is even lower than the background noise of the ocean. China also faces the threat of quiet submarines. getting bigger. Moreover, the marine terrain near China is relatively complex, both shallow and deep, which is conducive to submarine concealment. Submarines can escape the traditional passive sonar search through the transition layer and sit on the bottom of the sea. Active sonar can better find these "keep quiet" Submarine.

On May 8, 2014, the Ninth China International Defense Electronics Exhibition opened in Beijing. At this exhibition, China's self-developed fiber-optic hydrophone array was publicly displayed, showing the new level of China's anti-submarine warfare technology. The display showed a hydrophone array product demonstration developed by Shenzhou Puhui Technology.

Previously, China's main ship equipment was mainly SJG-206 passive towing sonar, while the new SGJ-311 composite sonar was equipped with a low-frequency active array based on the former, sending out active signals and being accepted by the passive array. The submarine's sound insulation tile is mainly aimed at the middle and high frequency active sonar, which has a weak attenuation effect on low frequency signals, so the active array can be used to find quiet submarines lurking offshore. The active and passive composite towed sonar can be said to be the standard for the new generation of combat ships in various countries. In the previous trials of littoral combat ships, the United States tested the combination of CAPTAS-4 active sonar plus SQR-20 passive sonar, while the British Royal Navy The Type 26 frigate is also planned to be equipped with Type 2087 active and passive towing sonars. It can be said that from 056A to 052D, active and passive composite sonars have begun to spread, catching up with international trends.

Amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Straits with the US military's increasingly frequent operations in the region, in July 2020 the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy held drills in the East China Sea, with the latest, more powerful, anti-stealth aircraft-capable version of the Type 052D destroyer making its first public appearance, according to military reports over the weekend. In early July, a destroyer flotilla affiliated with the PLA Eastern Theater Command Navy conducted training exercises at an undisclosed location in the East China Sea. The training subjects included air and missile defenses, attacks on surface vessels, and joint anti-submarine operations, the PLA Daily reported. The drills featured the guided missile destroyer Zibo, which has the hull number 156, among several other warships.

Having entered military service on January 12, the Zibo is the PLA Navy's first ship of the improved version of the Type 052D destroyer, which is dubbed the Type 052DL, reads an article on the website of the government of Zibo, the city in East China's Shandong Province the destroyer is named after. This is the first time the Zibo was seen in action according to a publicly available report, observers noted. Compared to the original Type 052D, the Type 052DL has a longer helicopter deck, and is equipped with a new, meter wave long-range radar on its after-mast, the article said, noting the improvements enable the destroyer to carry China's most advanced Z-20 ship-born helicopter, and to better cope with hostile stealth warplanes.