On Friday of last week, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy launched two new Luyang III/Type 052D guided missile destroyers. It’s believed that these are the 27th and 28th of the Luyang III/Type 052Ds to be launched, with three more hulls of the same type under construction. The ships were launched from Dalian Shipyard in China’s Northeast Liaoning Province. This comes after China restarted mass production of the Luyang III/Type 052D in August of last year.
Chinese state-owned media company Wenweipo reported that the ships could receive major upgrades to their radar systems. Wenweipo also claimed that the Luyang III/Type 052D is equipped with an advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system dubbed the “Chinese Aegis.” They also claim that the ships have a 64-cell missile launcher. They also claim that some Luyang III/Type 052Ds were already built with new anti-stealth radars, extended helicopter flight decks, and upgraded propulsion systems. None of this these claims have been confirmed nor has the U.S. Defense Department commented.
