A graphic of China's Type 052DL destroyer Dazhou showing where its new active electronically scanned array radar is located. The ship sailed near Japan on 7 December 2024, and its journey was tracked by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. (Janes)
China has fielded one of its latest Type 052D (Luyang III)-class destroyers, which is equipped with a new type of low-altitude air and surface surveillance radar, for operational taskings.
Images released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) on 9 December indicate that the vessel, Dazhou with pennant number 135, has been deployed by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) into the Western Pacific region.
This is the first known instance in which the ship, also referred to as a Type 052DL variant of the class, has been deployed for such an operation.
Dazhou was detected by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) on 7 December while it was sailing between the Miyako and Okinawa islands en route to the Pacific Ocean, said the Japanese MoD in its statement accompanying the images.
It was accompanied by the PLAN's Type 054A (Jiangkai II)-class frigate Xuzhou and its Type 815A (Dongdiao)-class intelligence-gathering vessel in the operation, the ministry added.
The images were released by the Japanese MoD as part of its routine reporting on the activities of foreign military assets that have been detected in the waters and airspace around Japan.
In the image of Dazhou, it is apparent that the vessel's mast has been topped with a new two-panel rotating radar. It replaces the H/LJQ-364 S-band radar found on earlier Type 052D destroyers, and this older sensor is typically enclosed within a radome.
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...
