The destroyer, dubbed Yangsha, is likely to operate from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) base at Yalong Bay on Hainan Island, reports Jane's Defense Weekly.
The Type 052D features a universal vertical launch weapon system capable of firing anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, and land attack missiles – a system not found on the preceding Type 052C.
Earlier this month, the seventh Type 052D emerged from the building shed at a shipyard in Shanghai and joined the sixth member of class which is currently fitting out, Jane’s reported. Builders have also made significant progress on the hulls of the eighth and ninth ships, circulating photographs show.
Type 054A Jiangkai II class frigates Yangzhou and Handan – the 19th and 20th ships of the class – have been handed over to the PLAN and are believed to have been commissioned, or will be shortly, Jane’s reports. Four more are under construction at two shipyards.
On July 17, the latest Type 056 Jiangdao class corvette was launched at a shipyard in Huangpu. This is the 27th of the class and the eighth to be equipped with variable depth and towed array sonars.
Reports suggest that two days later, the 22nd of class, Suqian, also an ASW variant, was commissioned. Earlier in the month, the sixth Type 056 to be built at the Lushun Liaonan shipyard was launched, Jane’s reports.
A week earlier, two auxiliaries were commissioned – the semisubmersible heavy lift ship Donghaidao and Type 904A resupply ship Junshanhu.
