This month, the news that the People's Liberation Army Navy has newly commissioned two 052DM destroyers has attracted attention from U.S. media "Military Watch." The U.S. media stated that as the fourth batch improved version of the 052D series, the 052DM not only continues China's "small step and fast run" equipment upgrade strategy, but after being equipped with the YJ-21 hypersonic missile, its comprehensive performance has already exceeded all similar U.S. and Western frigates.
01. Five small 055s are being commissioned in a row?
As of now, the total number of 052DMs commissioned this year has reached five. This "rice dumpling" style construction speed and continuous technological upgrading capability is the best proof of China's complete and efficient shipbuilding industrial system.
The U.S. media stated that the 052DM is the latest model in the 052D family and also the fourth batch of ships. The 052DM further optimizes the radar configuration on the main mast compared to the 052DL (third batch).
Its most notable feature is the installation of a new dual-band rapid response radar, which integrates S-band (for wide-area search) and X-band (for precise tracking). The detection range is significantly improved compared to the 346A radar of the 052DL, and the identification distance for stealth targets will also increase significantly. In addition, the "fly swatter" radar for anti-stealth at the rear of the ship greatly enhances the anti-stealth combat capability of this ship.
The 052DM uses the 64-cell vertical launch system of the 052D, there is no big change, but according to the analysis of the U.S. media, the large-caliber cold and hot common rack general vertical launch ammunition of the 052DM, through software adaptation and hardware optimization, realizes the compatibility with the YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship missile. The successful integration of the YJ-21 proves the excellent compatibility and potential of the Chinese navy's universal vertical launching system. This vertical launch system is a key platform for increasing the firepower of the 052DM.
02. Equipped with YJ-21 to attack aircraft carriers, performance exceeds all opponents?
The previous 052DL of the 052D model seems to currently have no capability to carry the YJ-21 missile. The maximum range of the YJ-21 is about 1500 kilometers, and the terminal penetration speed is more than 10 Maches, making it the only ship-deployed hypersonic anti-ship weapon in the world.
Its waver body warhead and Qian Xuesen trajectory technical features allow it to maneuver and change orbit at the edge of the atmosphere, making it difficult for the U.S. existing missile defense systems to intercept. It gives the 052DM the ability to launch a fatal strike outside the area of the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, making it the most powerful ship-deployed anti-ship weapon in service today. The 052DM destroyers equipped with the YJ-21 are called by U.S. media as "smaller 055" destroyers, possessing the same hypersonic missile strike capabilities as the 055 destroyers.
This performance has already exceeded all opponents, whether it is the U.S. "Arleigh Burke" III type, or Japan's "Moyu" class, or the UK's 45-type large frigates, none of them currently have the capability to carry hypersonic missiles. The anti-ship strike range of the 052DM is more than five times that of their missiles. Of course, the West has not yet successfully developed a hypersonic ship-deployed anti-ship missile.
In addition, compared to the 055's one-ton destroyer fleet mainstay positioning, the core value of the 052DM lies in its higher cost-effectiveness, achieving main combat capabilities at a lower cost (according to the U.S. media's analysis, the cost of the 052D destroyer is only 50% of the 055 destroyer), thus quickly forming a combat strength advantage.
However, the 052DM is also the final model of the 052D series. Since the first ship of the 052D series was commissioned in 2014, it has completed three major improvements: the second batch of 052 modifications, the third batch of 052DL (electronic warfare optimization, extended deck), and the fourth batch of 052DM (radar and missile upgrades). Although this "small step and fast run" model allows the Chinese Navy to quickly verify new technologies and continuously optimize them during use, avoiding the reliability risks caused by technological overreach.
But the modification potential of the 052D has been exhausted to this extent, and the next level will be an 8000-ton medium-sized frigate (compared to the 055), and the U.S. military said it may be named the 057-class destroyer.
Some content sources in the article: 1. PLA Daily: U.S. Space Force exercises expose maintenance hegemony ambitions, Beijing Daily
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7534430622820106752/
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