Chinese destroyer Wuhan (169)

Wuhan (169) is the second ship of Type 052B destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned in December 2004.

Wuhan underway on 10 June 2015
History
China
NameWuhan
Namesake
BuilderJiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai
Laid down2000
LaunchedOctober 2002
CommissionedDecember 2004
HomeportZhanjiang
IdentificationPennant number: 169
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeType 052B destroyer
Displacement
  • 5,850 tons standard[1]
  • 6,500 tons full load
Length155 m (509 ft)
Beam17.2 m (56 ft)
Draught6 m (20 ft)
Propulsion
Speed30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement280
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Fregat-MAE-5 (Top Plate) 3D air search phased array radar
  • MR90 Front-Dome fire control radar
  • Mineral-ME (Band Stand) over-the-horizon targeting radar
  • Type 344 fire-control radar
Armament
Aircraft carried1 helicopter: Kamov Ka-28
Aviation facilitiesHangar and helipad

Development and design

edit

Type 052B multirole missile destroyer was the first Chinese-built warship capable of area air defence. The displacement of the Type 052B is about 5850 tons standard[3] and 6500 tons full load. The ship features a "low point" design and combines this with radar absorbing paint to reduce radar signature. The ship's funnel incorporates cooling devices to reduce infrared signatures. The stern flight deck can host a Kamov Ka-28 ASW helicopter.[4]

Construction and career

edit

Wuhan was launched in February 2002 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. She was commissioned in December 2004.

On April 2, 2008, the commander of the U.S. Marine Corps, General James Conway, accompanied by Major General Zhang Leiyu, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff of the People's Liberation Army, began a two-day visit to the South China Sea Fleet. During the visit, Wuhan and Luo Xiaoshan were open to visit.[5] On December 26, 2008, Wuhan, Haikou and Weishanhu formed the first escort fleet of the Chinese Navy. They set sail from a military port terminal in Sanya City, Hainan Province, and escorted to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.[6] The escort mission lasted 124 days and nights with a voyage of more than 33,000 nautical miles. It provided escort for 41 batches of 166 ships, provided regional escorts for 46 ships and successfully rescued 3 foreign ships from being attacked. On April 28, 2009, they returned to the station.[7]

On July 26, 2010, Wuhan participated in a live-fire exercise of the Navy's multi-arms contract organized by the South China Sea Fleet. The exercise was held in a certain area of the South China Sea, highlighting the actual use of weapons in contracted seas, air defense and missile defense, and air control in a complex electromagnetic environment.[8]

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ 官媒正式公開廣州艦噸位等數據 Archived 2013-01-19 at archive.today, china.com, 2007-07-25, in Chinese
  2. ^ "Luyang Type 052B- People's Liberation Army Navy".
  3. ^ 中國海軍新型艦艇編隊遠航歐洲參加軍演, china.com.cn, 2007-07-25, in Chinese
  4. ^ Type 052B Luyang Class Missile Destroyer - SinoDefence.com Archived 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "美陆战队司令访问南海舰队 将观摩我陆战队演练". 新华网. 2008-04-02. Archived from the original on April 7, 2008.
  6. ^ "中国海军舰艇起航赴亚丁湾、索马里执行护航任务". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  7. ^ "海军首批护航编队凯旋". 人民网. 2009-04-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  8. ^ "海军举行多兵种合同实兵实弹演练". 新华网. 2010-07-29. Archived from the original on August 1, 2010.