China Builds Six Destroyers at Once, Showing Off to the US

Chinese Media Report New 052DL Aegis Destroyer with Anti-Submarine Capability
US Holds Over 70 Arleigh Burke-Class Ships Amid Concerns over Chinese Naval Threat

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] It has been confirmed that China, which is confronting the United States over the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, is simultaneously constructing six next-generation destroyers. The fact of the destroyer construction was confirmed through French media, leading to analysis that China is indirectly showcasing its naval power to the United States and other Western countries.

Photo by Naval News homepage capture

Chinese state media such as the Global Times and Sina cited the French naval specialist magazine Naval News, reporting on the 24th that a total of six warships are being built simultaneously?five at the Dalian Shipyard and one at the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard.

Chinese media reported that the warships under construction are the next-generation 052DL class destroyers (NATO codename: Luyang III), which are expected to contribute to the enhancement of the People's Liberation Army Navy's capabilities.

The 052DL class, equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and known as Aegis destroyers, are 7,700-ton vessels. They are an upgraded model of the existing 052D class with added submarine detection and attack capabilities. They reportedly have 64 vertical launch system (VLS) cells capable of launching anti-ship, anti-air, and anti-submarine missiles.

Naval News reported that the 052DL class is 162 meters long, 4 meters longer than the 052D class, to accommodate the new Z-20 attack helicopter, and is also equipped with a 30mm Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).

The Chinese navy initially planned to deploy 30 units of the 052D/DL class destroyers in active service by 2035. Chinese media explained that 25 units of the 052D/DL class will soon be deployed, suggesting that more destroyers than originally planned will be constructed.

In fact, China launched 10 destroyers in 2019 and added 8 more warships last year.

Chinese media emphasized that given the turbulent global security situation, it is natural for more destroyers to be constructed than initially planned to uphold international status and national interests.

Some analysts suggest that China, which possesses three aircraft carriers, is preparing to build additional carriers and is increasing the construction of 052D/DL attack destroyers to support this. China is reportedly planning to rapidly establish six carrier strike groups.

Regarding concerns over the strengthening of China's naval power, the Global Times argued that the United States possesses 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and over 70 Arleigh Burke-class (8,000?9,000 tons) Aegis destroyers, and that emphasizing the threat from China at sea is an exaggeration by the Western bloc.

As of 2018, China had 702 naval vessels, while the United States had 518. Numerically, China surpasses the United States, but in terms of total tonnage, China (1,225,812 tons) is only about one-third of the United States (3,451,964 tons).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.