New-type destroyer to serve PLA navy soon

South China Sea, Indian Ocean missions expected: expert

A new China-built navy destroyer is expected to be in service soon and its future mission might include assignments to the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, a Chinese navy expert said Friday.

Workers are installing conduits and cables in the 10,000-ton vessel being outfitted at the Jiangnan Shipyard Group in Shanghai, PLA Daily reported Friday, quoting Zhou Xin, a military representative stationed at the shipyard to oversee the building of the warship.

“Putting the ship in the water is nothing more than building a roughcast house, while outfitting the vessel is like decorating the house,” Zhou said.

The destroyer entered the water in June 2017, marking a milestone in building a strong and modern Chinese navy.

“The news is a sign that the destroyer will soon be delivered and put into service as all the major works are in their final stages,” Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times on Friday.

PLA Daily reported that the destroyer will be equipped with new air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons.

The diverse function means the destroyer could take extended independent missions in far-off regions, Li said.

It can also work together with China’s aircraft carrier formations, and could also complete missions in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, Li added.

Construction of the destroyer has focused on improving the ship’s fighting capability, another military representative, Leng Jun, was quoted as saying by the PLA Daily.

However, Song Xiaojun, a Beijingbased military affairs commentator, told the Global Times on Friday that it will still be some time before the destroyer is capable of combat.

“Uncertainties still exist after the hardware is finalized on the destroyer, as the new facilities and weapons still need more tests. The maintenance and use of the new facilities also need coordinated efforts from the shipbuilder and user, meaning the PLA Navy,” Song explained.

After soliciting opinions from mili- tary officers and soldiers, the designers changed the original plan for helicopters on the warship, increasing the height of the cabins to improve passage, the PLA Daily said.

A new welding technique was explored and used in building the outer hull, which was made of a new-type material, the report said.

To provide a more comfortable environment for soldiers on the ship, workers used new materials to protect against shock and noise and improved ventilation in the destroyer’s living quarters. The vessel will have to undergo testing, including its equipment, berthing and sailing, before it is commissioned for use.