The Type 052C destroyer (NATO/OSD Luyang II-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN). The Type 052C introduced both fixed active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and vertically launched surface-to-air missiles into PLAN service,[6] making it the first Chinese warship with area air defence capability.[7]
The first two ships, Lanzhou and Haikou, were laid down at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in 2002, and entered service in 2004 and 2005 respectively.[2] No further ships were laid down until 2010;[8] the pause may have been due to the relocation of the shipyard.[9] By 2019, six were operational.[1]
The Type 052C appears to share the same basic hull design as the Type 052B destroyer, which in turn is based on the Type 051B destroyer. Stealth features are incorporated.[2]
The Type 052C uses predominantly Chinese systems derived from earlier foreign technology; the preceding Type 052 and Type 052B destroyers used a mixture of Russian and Chinese systems.[9]
The Type 052C carries 48 HHQ-9 naval surface-to-air missiles (SAM),[2] each with a slant range of 110 nautical miles (200 km; 130 mi).[10] The SAMs are cold launched[11] from eight revolver-type vertical launchers, with six missiles per launcher.[8]
Eight YJ-62 anti-ship missiles are carried in two quad-canister launchers just forward of the hangar.[2] Each missile has a range of 250 nautical miles (460 km; 290 mi).[10]
The main gun is a 100 mm (4 in) PJ-87. The gun suffered from jamming and may have influenced the decision to adopt a different weapon for the Type 052D destroyer.[3][12] The weapon has a rate of fire of 25 rounds per minute.[2]
Close-in defence is provided by two seven-barrel 30 mm (1.2 in) Type 730 CIWS, one mounted forward of the bridge and one atop the hangar. Each gun has a maximum rate of fire of 4200 rounds per minute.[2]
Two triple 324 mm (13 in) torpedo tubes are carried; these are copies or derivatives of the Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei B515/ILAS-3.[2][13] This launcher may fire the Yu-7 ASW torpedo.[13]
The Type 052C is the first PLAN warship to mount[3] the G-band[2] Type 346 AESA radar.[6] The four phased array antennas are mounted on the taller forward superstructure. The Type 346 is used for air search, and provides fire control for the HHQ-9.[2] The combination of AESA radar and VLS SAMs produces a marked increase in anti-aircraft firepower over previous Chinese warships.[6]
A Kamov Ka-28 or Harbin Z-9 helicopter may operate from the rear hangar and flight deck.[4] The Ka-28 is equipped with a search radar and dipping sonar and can also employ sonobuoys, torpedoes, depth charges, or mines.[14] The Z-9 is a variant of the Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin. The naval variant of the Z-9, the Z-9C, is equipped with the KLC-1 search radar, dipping sonar, and is typically armed with a single, lightweight torpedo.[15] Either helicopter significantly improves the anti-submarine capabilities of the Type 052C.
The Type 052C propulsion is in the combined diesel or gas (CODOG) arrangement, with two Ukrainian DA80 gas turbines and two[2] MTU 20V 956TB92 diesel engines.[3]
The DA80s had blade problems and may have contributed to the last two Type 052Cs sitting pierside at the shipyard for two years without being accepted by the PLAN.[3]
The MTU 20V 956TB92 engines were license-produced by Shaanxi Diesel Engine Works.[3]