Satellite imagery from Airbus Defence and Space shows a resumption of naval shipbuilding at the northern Chinese port of Dalian and confirms that construction of a Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer is under way.
The Type 052 under construction is the first major warship to be built at Dalian since the two Type 051C Luzhou-class destroyers commissioned in 2006/7.
The Jiangnan yard on Changxing Island has led construction of the Type 052D destroyers and launched six hulls since 2012, with at least two others in build. The first of class commissioned in March 2014, with others still fitting out or on sea trials.
The Type 052D is the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) most advanced surface combatant, equipped with an updated version of the 3-D 'Dragon Eye' phased array radar and a 64-cell universal vertical launch system, capable of launching missiles up to 9 m in length and 850 mm in diameter.
In its recent report to the US Congress on Chinese military capabilities, the Pentagon identifies the armament to include surface-to-air missiles, land-attack cruise missiles, anti-submarine missiles, and a variant of the YJ-18, China's newest anti-ship cruise missile with a range of 290 n miles and a supersonic terminal phase.
Other Airbus Defence and Space imagery of the Dalian shipyards shows that construction of a new vessel is under way in the dry dock that was used during the refurbishment of the aircraft carrier Liaoning : the most likely facility to be used for building China's first indigenous carrier. The positioning of the keel blocks indicate it will be between 170 and 270 m long, with a beam of 30 m or more. Recent internet images show further progress but the type of vessel under construction remains inconclusive.
