Type 052D
The People’s Liberation Army Navy’s most numerous modern destroyer — a multirole air-defence combatant with 64 universal VLS cells, an AESA radar, and over 35 hulls in service, forming the backbone of China’s carrier escort and blue-water surface force.
The Type 052D has a 64-cell universal VLS supporting hot and cold launch, according to CCTV; China Daily reported 35 commissioned ships by 2 June 2026.
Overview
The Type 052D (Western reporting name Luyang III, also called the Kunming-class) is a guided-missile destroyer that serves as the numerically dominant surface combatant of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). China Daily reported that the PLAN had commissioned 35 Type 052D destroyers by 2 June 2026. Naval News separately estimated production approaching 40 hulls in January 2026, a figure that includes ships beyond the commissioned fleet. CCTV describes the class’s universal vertical launch system as supporting air-defence, anti-ship, land-attack and anti-submarine weapons.
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