I have been waiting for this for a while finally they commission the 5th DDG "Xining". Agreat day for Chinese navy. When are they going to commission"Xiamen"?
Fifth Type 052D Kunming-class
"Xining" Commissioned in
North Sea Fleet
Type 052D Destroyer Xining (117) was commissioned on January 22 2017
The first vessel of of the class,
Kunming (hull number 172), was commissioned in March 2014.
Changsha (hull number 173) , the second Type 052D Destroyer to join the PLAN, was launched just four months after head of the class
Kunming but was commissioned much later, in August 2015.
Hefei was launched at the Jiangnan-Changxing naval shipyard on July 2nd 2013 and commissioned in December 2015. The Fourth unit,
Yinchuan (hull number 175) was commissioned in July this year.
Three Type 052D Destroyers were launched in 2015 and three were launched in 2016.
There first four ships of the class all belong to the PLAN's South Sea Fleet and are homeported in Yulin Naval Base located in the Yalong Bay (city of Sanya) on Hainan island.
At least 14 Type 052D Destroyers are expected to be built for the PLAN by two shipyards: Jiangnan-Changxing shipyard and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company.
The Type 052D Kunming class (Nato designation: Luyang III) is the latest generation of guided-missile destroyer (DDG) of the Chinese Navy. It is based on its predecessor, the Type 052C DDG and likely shares the same hull. However the Type 052D incorporates many improvements in terms of design as well as sensors and weapons fit. This new class of vessel is considered as the Chinese equivalent to the American AEGIS destroyers.
