Type 052D-class (Luyang III)

The Type 052D destroyer (NATO/OSD reporting name: Luyang III-class) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It succeeded the Type 052C and preceded the Type 055. Construction began in February 2012 at the Jiangnan and Dalian shipyards. The lead vessel, Kunming (172), was launched in August 2012 and entered service in March 2014. An extended variant, unofficially designated Type 052DL, features a lengthened flight deck to accommodate the Harbin Z-20 helicopter. This variant entered service in 2020 with the commissioning of the Zibo (156).

The Type 052D is a multi-role surface combatant. It uses a canister-based universal vertical launching system (VLS) compliant with the GJB 5860-2006 standard, replacing the revolver-type VLS of previous classes. This system is capable of firing surface-to-air, anti-ship, land-attack, and anti-submarine missiles. The vessel is equipped with the Type 346A active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the Type 518 L-band air search radar. Due to the presence of flat-paneled AESA radars and canister-based VLS, Chinese media informally refers to the class as the "Chinese Aegis." For subsurface detection, the class utilizes both variable depth sonar (VDS) and linear towed array sonar.

Propulsion is provided by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system featuring two QC-280 gas turbines and two diesel engines driving two shafts. The class employs the Joint Service Integrated Datalink System (JSIDLS) and the Naval Common Tactical Data Link (NCTDL) for data exchange. Aviation facilities consist of a hangar and a landing pad, typically hosting a Harbin Z-9 or, in the stretched variant, a Harbin Z-20 helicopter.

Thirty-five vessels were active in the PLAN by mid-2026, the most recent being Tongchuan, commissioned in May 2026. Hulls delivered from the mid-2020s are widely reported as a further Type 052DM standard, replacing the spherical radome with a dual-face Type 368 X-band active electronically scanned array and upgrading the electronic warfare and command systems. Production is reported to be winding down at around forty hulls. The class is operated by the North Sea, East Sea, and South Sea Fleets. Individual ships are named after Chinese provincial capitals and major cities. Operational deployments include international transits and cooperative exercises. Hefei (174) visited Helsinki in 2017, and Taiyuan (131) conducted joint training with the Japanese destroyer Samidare in 2019. In 2023, Zhanjiang (165) visited Langkawi, Malaysia.