China Modernises Type 052B Destroyer with Far Superior Anti-Ship Firepower

The second of two Chinese Type 052B class destroyer, the Wuhan, has completed its refit and been brought back into the People’s Liberation Army Navy, as part of a program to enhance older warship types across the fleet through integration of new weaponry, sensors and electronics. The most significant change is the removal of the twin-arm surface-to-air missile launcher integrating missiles from the Russian BuK system, and their replacement with a 32-cell vertical launch system integrating significantly more modern and longer ranged HHQ-16 medium range surface-to-air missiles. This provides faster reaction times, and allows for simultaneous multi-target engagement. Integrating a vertical launch system onto a ship that was not initially designed to accommodate one has represented a leading challenge when modernising and refurbishing many of the Navy’s older ships.

The Type 052B’s anti-ship missile capabilities have been enhanced considerably, with YJ-83 subsonic missiles being replaced with the modern YJ-12. The YJ-83 and YJ-12 represent two very different generations and design philosophies in China’s anti-ship arsenal, with the former being a compact, widely deployable subsonic weapon, while the other is a larger and significantly more potent high-speed weapon designed to be able to penetrate advanced missile defences. The YJ-12 was designed for maximum lethality against high-value naval targets, especially carrier strike groups, with its integration revolutionising the Type 052B class destroyer’s combat potential. The newer missile is not only faster, but also has more than double the range at 400 kilometres, compared to approximately 200 kilometres for older variants of the YJ-83. Carrying a 300 kilogram warhead, the missile not only delivers more explosives, but also more force from the sheer kinetic energy of its impact. 

The Type 052B remains much more limited in its combat potential than modern Type 052D and Type 055 class destroyers, and does not benefit from the large-scale AESA radar arrays seen on later ships from the Type 052C onwards. Its limited sensors and lack of HHQ-9 long range surface-to-air missiles seriously constrain its air defence capabilities. Nevertheless, the improvements made to its air defence and particularly its anti-shipping capabilities have been revolutionary, allowing the destroyers to play far more significant roles in a wide range of missions ranging from maritime interdiction to carrier escort. The shortcomings of the ships’ air defence capabilities are expected to be heavily compensated for by their deployment alongside other destroyer types with more advanced surface-to-air capabilities, with the sharing of data from other ships’ radars potentially making up for its lack of modern air defence radars. Overall the modernisation of the Type 052B class ships allows them to continue to play a significant role in the Navy as much as lower end but still viable counterparts to the new Type 052D and Type 055 class ships that form the backbone of the fleet.