052C/052D Class Destroyers

latenlazy

Brigadier
Looks like a big conscious shift in focus to get ships to the fleets ASAP instead of optimising scheduling as was previously the case (you would normally want to stagger construction so you don’t have a lot of ships all entering service in a short time frame as that would not be efficient for the shipyard or naval academies supplying the new manpower for those ships).

I think this is an indirect sign of just how seriously Beijing is taking the threat of actual war with the US right now.

If a war doesn’t break out, I think we will see a big and distinct break in the trendline of PLAN warship construction and commissioning next year, when the impact of these production schedule changes start to filter through into fewer new built hulls appearing.
I don’t think the pace is really abating. We might get a short term slump as the yards regroup and start laying down new hulls, but my guess is planners have assumed these tensions aren’t going away just to be on the safe side, which means they’ll be committing to a much more rapid force build up as a hedge position. The planned fleet size might have grown a lot too, in response to their perceived trajectory of the geopolitical climate.
 

feilinreg

New Member
Registered Member
No need to wait, the effects are already visible today.
10 destroyers were launched last year (8 052d + 2 055)
No more than 3 will be launched this year (1 052d +2 055)
That means you'll see a massive slump after 2021-22 commissioning of these ships.

Yes, all the 8 055s and 25 052Ds will be commissioned by 2023.
 

Tam

Brigadier
Registered Member
I don’t think the pace is really abating. We might get a short term slump as the yards regroup and start laying down new hulls, but my guess is planners have assumed these tensions aren’t going away just to be on the safe side, which means they’ll be committing to a much more rapid force build up as a hedge position. The planned fleet size might have grown a lot too, in response to their perceived trajectory of the geopolitical climate.

Every once in a while the PLAN appears to do a reevaluation of their projects so you are not going the wrong route down the long term. Its hard to know what goes on internally. Such gaps can lead to a transition to new models, e.g. 052E, 055A, and the like. Its also hard to say what goes on inside those factories if they are already building new modules for the next batches until these modules are wheeled out to the drydocks. If there is an urgency, they may already be cutting and pressing steel to build new modules inside those factories, with new orders to build engines, radars, guns, VLS and so on with the subcontractors. It may still take a while before all these would manifest in the drydocks.
 

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General
via Henri K blog. The commissioning of type 52D is excruciatingly slow. The still have roughly 10+ ships in various stages of outfitting. Hope they speed up the process in light of changing geo politic. It is more urgent now
According to some sources, the Type 052D 122 Tangshan destroyer was admitted to active service on August 14 in Qingdao, by the 10th destroyer flotilla (Northern Fleet). If this is confirmed, it will then be the 14th in class to enter service and the 2nd since early 2020.

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Lethe

Captain
The estimates provided on Chinese Wikipedia for future service entry dates of 052Ds currently under construction seem somewhat optimistic. JN seems to average a bit over 2 years between launch and commissioning, DL a bit over 3 years. This gives us 15 units in service by end 2020, 18 by end 2021, 22 by end 2022, 25 by end 2023.
 

Tam

Brigadier
Registered Member
The estimates provided on Chinese Wikipedia for future service entry dates of 052Ds currently under construction seem somewhat optimistic. JN seems to average a bit over 2 years between launch and commissioning, DL a bit over 3 years. This gives us 15 units in service by end 2020, 18 by end 2021, 22 by end 2022, 25 by end 2023.

DL's commission is kind of tilted by the fact that just about every 052D of their production goes to the 10th Destroyer Division except for one ship, and the fact that DL's 052Ds seems to stay around for months moored without doing anything or having worked on, which means they have already passed their trials and there is nothing on the ship to be worked on, seems to point out a slow problem in the PLAN's end, specifically with the 10th Destroyer Division. Why all of the 052Ds of Dalian, except for one ship #163, are all destined to the 10th is another mind boggling question. Only one ship from Jiangnan went to the 10th, which is #122, and that lingered for a while in Jiangnan's outer pier.
 

Bhurki

Junior Member
Registered Member
DL's commission is kind of tilted by the fact that just about every 052D of their production goes to the 10th Destroyer Division except for one ship, and the fact that DL's 052Ds seems to stay around for months moored without doing anything or having worked on, which means they have already passed their trials and there is nothing on the ship to be worked on, seems to point out a slow problem in the PLAN's end, specifically with the 10th Destroyer Division. Why all of the 052Ds of Dalian, except for one ship #163, are all destined to the 10th is another mind boggling question. Only one ship from Jiangnan went to the 10th, which is #122, and that lingered for a while in Jiangnan's outer pier.
How would you estimate the number of 052d in service at end of each year from 2020-2023? If any different from what lethe says.
Bdw, regardless of which desflot the 052d are alloted to, ships from dalian always take atleast 6 months more than those from jiangnan.
 

Tam

Brigadier
Registered Member
How would you estimate the number of 052d in service at end of each year from 2020-2023? If any different from what lethe says.
Bdw, regardless of which desflot the 052d are alloted to, ships from dalian always take atleast 6 months more than those from jiangnan.

I would expect all 25 to be in service by 2023. Its possible the 10th Destroyer Division will accelerate adoption after a slow start after the first "seed" ships that will help establish experience in using and maintaining these ships. A good way to observe progress in that division---which is being transformed from backwater fleet to front line destroyer squadron---is the kind of training the division is involved in. Recently 120 Chengdu for example, has participated in unrep and live fire exercises in coordination with 101 Nanchang and one of the Type 901s. If one of their destroyers gets a job leading a Gulf of Aden escort mission, that would be a good boost of confidence to that squadron.
 

palejade

New Member
Registered Member
I don't know if they intended each destroyer squadron to completely fill the blank pennant spaces. Just a note. But if they want to do that, they need to go past the 25th 052D. They are going to have to build more. A lot more. Maybe they will save the extra spaces for 052E?

You can make your conclusion from the listings.

2nd Destroyer Squadron. Located in Zhanjiang, Guangzhou.
161 Hohhot. This is 2nd block 052D. Some refinements over 1st block 052D.
162 052DL Huainan in trials in Jiangnan
163 052DL Guilin currently fitting in Dalian
164 052DL currently fitting in Jiangnan
165 Recently Retired Luda named Zhanjiang
166 Recently Retired Luda named Zhuhai
167 051B Shenzhen, refit active
168 052B Guanzhou, 052B currently in MLU, inactive
169 052B Wuhan, active

Five here if you are assuming replacement of older ships, but IMO 167, 168 and 169 still have more years, and 168 and 169 will get MLU. That leaves this squadron with two spares, 165 and 166 after the retired Ludas. The names Zhanjiang and Zhuhai will be open for adoption by future destroyer.

9th Destroyer Squadron. Located Sansha, Hainan.
170 052C Lanzhou
171 052C Haikou
172 052D Kunming
173 052D Changsha
174 052D Hefei
175 052D Yinchuan
176 to 179 empty

This squadron is the first to get 052C, and the first to get 052D. The four 052D ever made went as an entire group to the 9th. Since then, they didn't get any new ship. None of the remaining 052DL currently being made is slated for this squadron. So what gives? I suspect this group is going to get 055 in the future instead.

3rd Destroyer Squadon, ESF.
131 052D Taiyuan. First 052D of this group, a second block construction.
132 052DL Suzhou. 052DL currently in trials in Jiangnan.
133 052DL currently being fitted in Jiangnan
134 052DL currently being fitted in Jiangnan
135 Empty
136 956E Hanzhou refitted
137 956E Fuzhou refitted
138 956EM Taizhou in service
139 956EM Ningbo in service

5 more destroyers needed here if you want to fill all the numbers and replace the Sovremenny. But I don't think the Sovremenny will disappear soon.


6th Destroyer Squadron ESF
150 052C Changchun
151 052C Zhengzhou
152 052C Jinan
153 052C Xian
154 052D Xiamen
155 052D Nanjing
156 052DL Ningbo
157 052DL Nanning, currently in trials in Jiangnan
158 empty
159 empty

1st Destroyer Squadron
101 055 Nanchang
102 to 110 went to Anshan and Luda class destroyers, retired. 102 to 108 reserved for 055?
111 not used
112 052 Harbin
113 052 Qingdao
114 not used
115 051C Shenyang
116 051C Shijizhuang
117 052D Xining
118 052D Urumqi

Question mark if they plan to refit the 051C.

10th Destroyer Squdron
119 052D Guiyang
120 052D Chengdu, 2nd block ship
121 052D Qiqihar, sitting in Dalian, 2nd block ship
122 052DL Taishan, sitting in Jiangnan
123 052DL being fitted in Dalian
124 052DL being fitted in Dalian
125 052DL Wuxi being fitted in Dalian
126 to 129 empty
I see from your list that the name 'Ningbo' has been allocated to two different ships, to 139 956EM and 156 052DL Ningbo.
Is this a normal thing to do? Does it not cause some confusion?
 
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