Type 052D destroyer can carry China's supersonic anti-ship missile ( Copy Right @ The Want China Times)

Type-52 C Destroyer of PLAN ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Took Ranch)

Sources- The Want China Times

The PLA's Type 052D guided missile destroyer, the most advanced class of China's destroyers, is capable of carrying supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles with capabilities similar to the Russian-built C-Club-N missile, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.

The Type 052D has various disadvantages caused by the DN/DA80 gas-turbine introduced from Ukraine, however, which limits the speed of the hefty destroyer. The turbine is used in Russia and India to power merchant vessels rather than warships because it is a gas guzzler.

Without proper support from Ukraine, China is unable to carry out maintenance and overhaul operations for the turbine. Like the Chinese fighters which still rely on the engines imported from Russia, PLA Navy warships need turbines from Russia and Ukraine but the conflict in the region has cut off access to Ukrainian personnel able to maintain the turbines.

Chinese engineers have designed various advanced missiles for the Type 052D destroyers to carry, according to the report. Using its active scanning array radar system that has seen it dubbed the Chinese Aegis, the Type 052D can still be considered a deadly threat to US forces in the Western Pacific. One anti-ship missile on board is almost identical to the C-Club-N supersonic cruise missile designed by Russia.

The attack range of the Russian missile is 220 kilometers and it is difficult to intercept because of its supersonic speed. Meanwhile, the ship's HQ-9 air defense missile gives it protection against air attack. It is still not known whether the vessels are able to launch the more advanced HQ-16 but in any case the Type 052D will continue to play an important role in the formation of future PLA carrier battle groups.

Original link to the article: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20141006000045