Re: PLAN Type 052 Class Destroyer
The Type 052C along with the Type 052B vessels that immediately preceded them, looked very good coming out of construction. Qualitatively, IMHO, they really marked an important milestone for Chinese Naval shipbuilding. Since that time, with the rest of the run of Type 052Cs, now the Type 052Ds, all of the Type 054As, the Type 056 vessels, etc, the PLAN has been producucing what I would call a very high quality product in terms of their structural design and fit for their vessels. Very good lines.
Above, in those pics, both look really squared away and ship shape to me, despite the difference in age. And in a good quality shipbuilding program, that is what you would expect.
The initial flight IIA Burke destroyer, USS Oscar Austin, DDG-79, launched in November 1998, still looks as good as the latest, USS Michael Murphey, DDG-112, launched in May 2011, even though they were launched 12 years apart. (BTW, that's a really good build run right there, 34 vessels in 12 years.)
I am sure there were some improvements made in the intervening years in the Type 052C vessels. How many of those were able to be upgraded into the intial two vessels (170 and 171) during their scheduled maintainenence, I do not know. But they look really good now, and it is indicative a high quality program.
In answer to your question, here are two relatively recent pictures of the two:
The Type 052C along with the Type 052B vessels that immediately preceded them, looked very good coming out of construction. Qualitatively, IMHO, they really marked an important milestone for Chinese Naval shipbuilding. Since that time, with the rest of the run of Type 052Cs, now the Type 052Ds, all of the Type 054As, the Type 056 vessels, etc, the PLAN has been producucing what I would call a very high quality product in terms of their structural design and fit for their vessels. Very good lines.
Above, in those pics, both look really squared away and ship shape to me, despite the difference in age. And in a good quality shipbuilding program, that is what you would expect.
The initial flight IIA Burke destroyer, USS Oscar Austin, DDG-79, launched in November 1998, still looks as good as the latest, USS Michael Murphey, DDG-112, launched in May 2011, even though they were launched 12 years apart. (BTW, that's a really good build run right there, 34 vessels in 12 years.)
I am sure there were some improvements made in the intervening years in the Type 052C vessels. How many of those were able to be upgraded into the intial two vessels (170 and 171) during their scheduled maintainenence, I do not know. But they look really good now, and it is indicative a high quality program.
