052C/052D Class Destroyers

"The improved variant of the Type 052D destroyer, while retaining its basic long-range air-defense, anti-ship, and area anti-submarine capabilities, further expands its long-range land-attack, sea-based missile-defense, and ultra-long-range anti-ship capabilities."



Some are speculating this to be "YJ-18B"

00CuriousObserver said:

"The improved variant of the Type 052D destroyer, while retaining its basic long-range air-defense, anti-ship, and area anti-submarine capabilities, further expands its long-range land-attack, sea-based missile-defense, and ultra-long-range anti-ship capabilities."

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Not a huge fan of that phrasing because it conveys the idea that those "improvements" are fixed/built into newer 052D subvariants.

However given what we know about the weapons accommodation of the ship class (namely VLS, which likely has not seen major changes between 052D subvariants), I suspect it is more that successive new weapons have been introduced to the 052D class overtime, and some weapons happened to be introduced to the 052D class as hulls of a 052D subvariant entered service.

00CuriousObserver said:

Some are speculating this to be "YJ-18B"

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It's kinda funny they use 055 CGI as a standin there.

Still kind of amusing they're only showing YJ-18, HHQ-9 and YJ-18B respectively.

00CuriousObserver said:

"The improved variant of the Type 052D destroyer, while retaining its basic long-range air-defense, anti-ship, and area anti-submarine capabilities, further expands its long-range land-attack, sea-based missile-defense, and ultra-long-range anti-ship capabilities."

Some are speculating this to be "YJ-18B"

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I think this is the first hint, official or otherwise, that the 052D is able to launch YJ-20 and LACMs. Makes sense really.

052D DDG-128 Garze at sea. Posted by @欧阳振我86468 on Weibo.

ACuriousPLAFan said:

Table updated as of 2 December 2025:

DDG	In Active Service	Sea Trials/Fitting Out/Under Construction (Visually Confirmed)	Purported/Claimed (Unconfirmed)
055	8	6	2
052D/DG	32	6	5
Total	40	12	7

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Besides the well-known addition of two more Type 055s, how many Type 052Ds have been put into service? It would be nice to get an update to this tally.

A new 052D is almost ready in the Dalian shipyard.

definitelyfrank said:

Besides the well-known addition of two more Type 055s, how many Type 052Ds have been put into service? It would be nice to get an update to this tally.

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Table updated as of 30 May 2026 (may not be 100% accurate):

Between 14 sec and 16 sec, it seems to show the new x-band AESA completing almost one full rorations, so ~30 roratation/mn.

Assuming the AESA is dual paneled (which is the wide assumption), this is comparable/better than, say the French Herakles radar with its single PESA panel rotating at 60 rorations/mn;

However, at the 16 sec mark, it seems to also show that one of the AESA panel is slightly larger than the other panel?

Are the two panels actually different in size?

If so, is that because they are transmitting at different bands, or is the new AESA radar actually single paneled?

........ or maybe I just need new glasses?

ACuriousPLAFan said:

Table updated as of 30 May 2026 (may not be 100% accurate):

DDG	In Active Service	Sea Trials/Fitting Out/Under Construction (Visually Confirmed)	Purported/Claimed (Unconfirmed)
055	10	4	2
052D	35	3	5
Total	45	7	7

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What's the status of the 2 055, tenders seen, suspected hulls seen, or just rumoured?

ismellcopium said:

What's the status of the 2 055, tenders seen, suspected hulls seen, or just rumoured?

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None, not even rumored