According to a US Congressional Research Report, the Chinese Navy is growing and will soon surpass the US Navy thanks to the construction of five destroyers.
This expansion coincides with rising Taiwan Strait tensions; on August 21, @lyman2003 posted a blog on Weibo stating that they are being constructed in Dalian Shipyard, Liaoning Province.
People's Liberation Army Navy Expansion
Images of the ships under construction were viral and were identified as Type 052 and Type 052DL destroyers, reported the EurAsian Times.
The PLAN made no announcement about these new warships, which could be mass-produced according to the data. They are 052DL Destroyers, with larger helicopter decks on longer versions of the Type 52D warship.
Five are being constructed in Dalian, and a sixth hull has been laid down at the Jiangnan Changxing Shipyard in Shanghai.
According to SCMP, a total of 25 will be used by the Chinese Navy. Among the 25 Destroyers, about 13 are the 052D, and 12 will be the 052DL variant with an extended helicopter deck, according to Chinese military observers.
The information about covert building in Liaoning comes when China is still embroiled in squabbles with Taiwan and the US Navy over its perseverance to reunite with the Chinese mainland.
Early in the month, the Type 052D destroyer 'Nanjing' was in contact with the Tso Ying Destroyer of the Taiwanese navy on the east side in a PLA maritime war drill.
There is no verification the ships are in mass production now, but the PLAN has started an ambitious expansion compared to its adversaries of late. The capacity to build more ships is a concern for the US, which already has more ships. US Arleigh Burke-class of the same kind of ship is directly comparable to the destroyer Type-52.
In contrast, the US Navy has 70 of the Arleigh Burke in service, while China's PLA Navy has only 25 that have been commissioned. The US Navy has more of these older ships, which is why China wants to expand its armada of warships.
Type-052 Surface Combatant Specifications
Type 052C DDG, an early design of the Chinese destroyer, is where the Type-052 destroyer gets its name. Additional designs, sensors, and even the included weapons are advancements over the original design. The ship has a top speed of 30 nautical miles per hour, a displacement of about 7,500 tons, and an integrated electronic weapons system.
Its AESA radar is additional equipment that includes a 64-silo vertical launching system for all types of missiles, including anti-submarine, surface-launched, and surface-to-air missiles.
A Harbin Z-20 helicopter can fit on its deck, but the DL-to-D variant is 200 tons heavier and up to five meters longer. It has a 162-meter length, a 17.2-meter beam, a 6.2-meter draught, and a displacement of 7,700 tons when fully loaded. According to Naval News, the crew numbers 280.
The building of more ships could portend a rise in military power, especially for China, which has stated its ambition to promote the reunification procedure progressively in the face of repeated US trips to Taiwan.
Reports of the Chinese Navy adding about five Type-052L and DL variants do not assure the US Navy, which sees the capacity of the PLA Navy to lay down hulls fast as a not comforting thought.
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