Thinking on would that mean that ships belonging to a future escort flotilla would occasionally go to Iranian waters to launch cruise missiles and then be rearmed ( at sea? ) by the accompanying supply vessel?
I think if China were to launch cruise missile strikes, it would deploy a dedicated, separate flotilla for that task.
China will not give the haters an excuse to smear the good work they are doing with the anti-piracy patrols.
Although all this talk of China sending in warships to conduct cruise missile strikes seems a bit pre-mature and unlikely.
The 052Ds and maybe the latest 093s are the only PLAN ships known to be capable of being used effectively in such a mission. Both types are very new, so Beijing will be reluctant to send them out on such a high profile mission of minimal import for China so far away as their first mission.
They would prefer to give both types more time for the shake down cruises so the crews get fully trained up on all the new systems and capabilities these new ships offer, and also gives them more time to put the ships through their paces in home waters to test for faults or deficiencies and have those remedied.
It would be far more likely to be for an 052D to be part of the next anti-piracy patrol. If that happens, I am sure she will be packing cruise missiles, but I think those would be for insurance, only to be used in an emergency, and her primary mission would still be anti-piracy.
