The Type 052D destroyer Su Zhou has been dispatched to the Western Pacific for a mission just two months after its commissioning, becoming the 31st ship of the Type 052D destroyers!
Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office reported that on May 29, a Type 052D destroyer with hull number 158 and a Type 054A frigate with hull number 534 passed through the Miyako Strait to execute tasks in the western Pacific. It is unclear whether these two warships will join the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group located east of Taiwan. As early as October 2023, the Veterans Affairs Bureau of Suzhou City mentioned in its work plan to "coordinate with the Zhoushan naval base to handle matters related to the commissioning of the Navy's 'Suzhou ship'." In November 2023, the official WeChat account of Anhui Province's Veterans Affairs Department also mentioned that the ships Suzhou and Huaibei have successfully applied for re-naming. Additionally, according to the message released by the Veterans Affairs Bureau of Suzhou City at the end of March this year, it was clearly stated that the matters regarding the commissioning of the Suzhou ship should be handled in April. The previous Suzhou ship was a Type 056 missile frigate, which was transferred to the China Coast Guard in 2021. This undoubtedly proves the existence of the new generation of the Suzhou ship. Based on relevant information circulating online previously, it can be determined that this Type 052D improved missile destroyer with hull number 158 is the Suzhou ship, the 31st ship of the Type 052D series, and was commissioned into the Eastern Theater Navy in early April. Having only been commissioned for two months, it has already been deployed to the Pacific Ocean for missions, indicating that the navy now aims to directly temper the combat strength of newly commissioned vessels in long-distance training!
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833596134510599/
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