052C/052D Class Destroyers

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General
On top of 18 or 19 already acquired, the Chinese navy should order 8 additional Type 052D destroyers.
From Henri Kehnman blog
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Blackstone

Brigadier

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
I got to admit, the 052Ds' are beautiful ships and look the role of killers.
Eight of them in the water with pennant numbers...plus the six Type 052Cs. A very hefty and strong force...and growing.

when they add the Type 055s in there there is no one who will be able (with a straight face or any credibility whatsoever) who will be able to discount what the Chinese are doing, and how far they have come in modernizing a strong and lethal surface force.

But their Achilles heel is still the nuclear sub program. They have to step up to that plate.
 

FactsPlease

Junior Member
Registered Member
Eight of them in the water with pennant numbers...plus the six Type 052Cs. A very hefty and strong force...and growing.

when they add the Type 055s in there there is no one who will be able (with a straight face or any credibility whatsoever) who will be able to discount what the Chinese are doing, and how far they have come in modernizing a strong and lethal surface force.

But their Achilles heel is still the nuclear sub program. They have to step up to that plate.

Fully agreed. While it's a marvelous job for recent achievements, if I may say no one else in the world for the past 30years, I'm keen to know what will be the combat doctrine now for PLAN with such a comparably-weak underwater force against surface fleet - a huge gap of capability like this might pose severe impact on a "balanced/optimized" combat tactics, if not put as "distortion". Appreciate if some one can share.
 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Fully agreed. While it's a marvelous job for recent achievements, if I may say no one else in the world for the past 30years, I'm keen to know what will be the combat doctrine now for PLAN with such a comparably-weak underwater force against surface fleet - a huge gap of capability like this might pose severe impact on a "balanced/optimized" combat tactics, if not put as "distortion". Appreciate if some one can share.
Well, the US achievements over the last 30 years actually match and surpass the PLAN achievements. The Burke DDGs are unequaled in terms of numbers and capabilities taken as a whole, and the 52D and 52C are meant to be a Chinese force similar to that force, albeit not equal in numbers. And then the US Zumwalts, and now the uparmed Freedom and Independence Frigates make that force a very large, modern and balanced surface force as well...over twice as large as the new PLAN force.

This does not diminish what the Chinese have done, because they started at a MUCH lower base and have achieved what they are doing in 15 years. I just wanted to ensure that "no one else in the wlrd" statement.

Still, the PLAN force is now the second largest and over all capable surface force on earth.

As I say, their glaring area of need is in the SSN area specifically because they certainly have plenty of capable SSKs that themselves are very decent vessels...within the constraints of an SSK.

But this thread is about the Type 052D DDGs and in talking about the subs I drift off topic, and need to reel myself and the thread back in.

If anyone has pics of 118 and/or 119 with their pennant numbers painted on...please post those pics.
 
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