The commissioning of the 28th Type 052D destroyer by the PLA has left the US military even more desperate, as at least five more Type 052D destroyers will be commissioned this year.

Entering 2025, two Type 052D destroyers have already been commissioned by the Chinese Navy. According to foreign media reports, the 39th Type 052D destroyer has already been launched and is undergoing sea trials, with at least five expected to be commissioned this year.

This means that within one year, China will have commissioned seven Type 052D destroyers. The headache for our PLA now is that there are not enough hull numbers for the warships. This is because too many guided-missile destroyers are about to be launched in the near future.

This is a blow to the US military. If we compare it to the Arleigh Burke Class I and Arleigh Burke Class II of the US Navy, even without considering the Type 052B and Type 052C, the Type 052D has undergone two upgrades in just ten years. The radar systems, vertical launch units, and helicopter hangars have all undergone comprehensive upgrades, yet despite this, it hasn't slowed down our construction speed.

What makes the US military even more desperate is that the Type 052D currently being launched and commissioned by the PLA is the third batch of Type 052Ds, known as the Type 052DM. The radar has been upgraded to a dual-sided active phased array radar, which can better counter stealth aircraft, low-altitude, and small drones, and is three times faster than the current SPY-1D radar used by the US military.

In addition, the tonnage has increased to 8,000 tons. With missiles such as the YJ-18 and YJ-21 and the ten-thousand-round close-in weapon system, it has obvious advantages over the US Navy's Arleigh Burke Class III destroyers.

Looking at the Arleigh Burke Class III, the most noticeable feature is its "clothesline" mast, where radar antennas are hung all over the mast like drying fish. In contrast, our Type 052D has a clean and tidy arrangement of radar antennas. It's no wonder that American netizens say that the Arleigh Burke Class III looks like an antique from the last century. The Arleigh Burke Class III represents the awkward situation where the US is falling behind in terms of generation gap in surface combatants.

More fatally, due to the comprehensive decline of the industrial system, the speed of technological equipment development and iteration in the United States is much slower than that of China. This means that: within the time scale worth discussing, the US lead is temporary, while the US lag will be permanent.

You see how the Type 052D Changsha destroyer defended the Xisha Islands, single-handedly stopping three foreign warships from entering within 12 nautical miles of our Xiasha waters. At that time, our soldiers were even prepared to fire missiles at any moment. After a tense standoff lasting 47 hours, the foreign vessels were forced to retreat. From this, we can see the excellent performance of the Type 052D.

Once all 39 Type 052D destroyers are commissioned, along with 16 Type 055 destroyers and other types such as Type 052B and Type 052C, by 2027, China's number of guided-missile destroyers will exceed that of the US Navy. On the other hand, the US Navy has only launched 16 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in 15 years, and the pace of Arleigh Burke Class III construction is slowing down, taking an average of 5 years from keel laying to commissioning.

Under these circumstances, the only advantage the US Navy will have left by then will be the number of aircraft carriers.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830642913035276/

Disclaimer: The article reflects the views of the author alone.