Major Shaitan Singh
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A concept image of a row of Type 052D destroyers. (Internet photo)
A second Chinese shipbuilder has begun construction of the People's Liberation Army's Type 052D destroyer, reports Huanqiu, the Chinese-language website of the nationalistic Global Times tabloid.
Citing leaked photos from a military discussion forum, the report said the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company in northeast China's Liaoning province is building a Type 052D destroyer and has so far completed the ship's hull.
If confirmed, Dalian Shipbuilding will be the second shipbuilder to be manufacturing the Type 052D after Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard, which has already completed six of the guided missile destroyers. Dalian Shipbuilding was the main refitter of China's first and only aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
Military expert Li Xiaojian said that compared to the earlier Type 052B and Type 052C, the Type 052D destroyer has added a vertical launch system and a new ship-to-air missile weapon system, and has upgraded its warning and detection as well as combat command capabilities.
Based on the current pace of construction, it appears that the PLA could end up commissioning more than 10 Type 052D destroyers, the report said. The US-based Defense News website has noted that if things go according to plan, the number of Chinese phased-array radar destroyers will exceed that of its closest regional rival, Japan, by 2018. The Wall Street Journal has also previously stated that if the PLA Navy ends up possessing around 10-15 advanced destroyers like the Type 052D, it will have the second most powerful surface fleet in the Asia-Pacific behind the United States.
Liaoning carrier's main builder now making Type 052D destroyers|WantChinaTimes.com