TYPE 051 DESTROYER

The 'Type 051 destroyer' (NATO code name 'Luda' class) missile destroyer was the first surface warfare oriented vessel ever designed and built in China, and the first Chinese ship to be fitted with an integrated combat direction system. It was based on the Soviet Neustrashimy class destroyer design, with some design influences from the Kotlin class destroyer.

Contents

History

Ships

Luda I

Luda II

Luda III (051G1/G2)

Luda mid-life upgrade (051DT)

Type 051DT (mid-life upgrade) Specs

External links

History

In the late 1960s, China began testing its long-range rockets for the Chinese space program, as well as the ICBM program. The People's Liberation Army Navy operated only four ex-Soviet Gordy class destroyers (Anshan class in PLAN service) at the time, which were unsuitable for long-range ocean recovery missions. The 701 institute was instructed to develop China's first indigenous guided missile destroyer, modelled after the Soviet Kotlin-class. The design was approved in 1967, and construction of the first Type 051 ''Luda class'' destroyer began in 1968.
A total of 17 Type 051 destroyers were built between 1968 and 1991. 16 remain in service today. Major refit for ships of this class began in 1990s, replacing the old HY-1/HY-2 with YJ-83 (C-803) missile, and manual guns with automatic guns. For air-defense, an 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile system is also installed with the upgrade.

Ships

Luda I

This is the original configuration of the design, albeit with equipment inconsistencies among the units. Three shipyards built the 13 vessels of this group: units #106-110 in Luda, #131-134 in Zhonghua, and #160-185 in Guangzhou. Unit No.160 suffered an explosion in August, 1978 and was eventually scrapped. She is currently listed as decommisioned.
The original Luda destroyer was equipped with 2 x triple HY-1 or HY-2 missile launchers, 2 x 130 mm guns, plus an assortment of manual 25 mm, 37 mm, and 57 mm AA guns. Two of the Luda I destroyers were converted into command-vairant, with enlarged superstructure for air defense C3I center, ZKJ-1 combat data system, and Type 381A Rice Shield 3-D long-range air search radar.

Luda I class ship

★ ''Xi'an'' (106)

★ ''Yinchuan'' (107)

★ ''Xining'' (108)

★ ''Dalian'' (110) - Command variant

★ ''Nanjing'' (131)

★ ''Hefei'' (132) - Command vairant

★ ''Chongqing'' (133)

★ ''Zunyi'' (134)

★ ''Changsha'' (161)

★ ''Nanning'' (162)

★ ''Nanchang'' (163)

★ ''Guilin'' (164)

Luda II

Two Luda class destroyers were modified for ASW and C3I duties. The aft 130 mm gun and AAA guns were removed, and replaced with a helicopter deck, hangar space for 2 helicopters, and an 8-cell HQ-7 SAM system. See this pic for example. A Chinese copy of Thomson-CSF TAVITAC combat data system, ZKJ-4 was added for the C3I duties.

★ ''Jinan'' (105) - converted from Luda I to Luda II started in 1987

★ ''Kaifeng'' (109) - upgraded with Crotale SAM and YJ-83 (C-803) missiles (However, it is undecided as to whether Hull 109 is the Kaifeng or the Dalian.)

Luda III (051G1/G2)

On a whole the new Luda IIIs had the SJD-II and SJD-4 Sonar systems installed. These sonar systems allowed submarine detections up to 18 knots in harsh sea states. Hull 166, the Zhuhai, was equipped with 4 x twin YJ-8 (C-801) AShMs, 1 x triple Whitehead A244 torpedo launcher, Thomson-CSF TAVITAC combat data system (two systems purchased from France in 1985), EFR-1 Rice Lamp fire-control radar, and ESS-1 VDS towed sonar. During the mid-life upgrade, the #166 Zhuhai was upgraded with HQ-7 SAM, 4 x YJ-83 (C-803) SSMs, Type 344 fire-control radar, and Type 79A 37 mm AA guns.

Luda III ''Zhuhai''

The HQ-7 SAM system is reported to be equipped with "semi-automatic reloader" system with 16 spare missiles. The same system is also used on the Type 052 Destroyer, bringing the total number of air-defense missiles to 8 (ready to fire) + 16 (stored) = 24.
The #165 Zhanjiang was upgraded to the Type 051G1 standard, which is very similar to the Type 051G2.

★ ''Zhanjiang'' (165)

★ ''Zhuhai'' (166)

Luda mid-life upgrade (051DT)

The PLAN has performed mid-life upgrades on several of its Luda-class destroyers. Some ships have been upgraded with a new ZKJ-4A-3 combat data system (C3I), Crotale/HQ-7 SAM, HY-1/HY-2 missiles replaced by 16 YJ-83 (C-803) anti-ship missiles, and manual AA guns replaced by Type 76A dual-37 mm automatic AA guns. The upgraded ships are sometimes referred to as the Type 051DT. At least 2 ships (109 & 110) are reported to have been upgraded to the Type 051DT standard, with more expected to follow.

Type 051DT (mid-life upgrade) Specs

For comparison, please see this pic of Luda prior to modernization, and this pic of Luda with modernization.

★ 'Displacement' 3,250 tons (empty), 3,670 tons (loaded)

★ 'Length' 433.1 ft / 132 meters

★ 'Beam' 42 ft / 12.8 meters

★ 'Draft' 15.3 ft

★ 'Speed' ~30+ kts

★ 'Endurance' 2,970 miles at 18 kt

★ 'Crew' 280 (45 officers)

★ 'Propulsion' 2 boilers 2 turbines 72,000 hp(m) (53 MW) 2 shafts

★ 'C3I System': combat data systems of ZKJ series (ZKJ = 'Z'idong 'K'ongzhi 'J'iqi: automatic control machines)

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★ ZKJ-1 for 'Luda I'

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★ ZKJ-4 for 'Luda II'

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★ Thomson-CSF TAVITAC for 'Luda III (051G1/G2)'

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★ ZKJ-4A-3 for 'Luda mid-life upgrade (051DT)'

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★ Data link: HN-900 (Chinese equivalent of Link 11A/B, to be upgraded)

★ 'Radar/Sonar'

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★ Type 517A Knife Rest, or Cross Slot 3-D long-range air search, A-band

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★ Type 515 Bean Sticks or Pea Sticks air search radar, E/F-band

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★ Rice Screen 3-D early warning lon-range radar, G-band

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★ Square Tie air/surface-search radar, I-band

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★ TSR 3004 (DRBV-15 Sea Tiger or Eye-Shield air/surface search radar (E-band)

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★ Type 343G fire-control radar (for 100 mm gun)

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★ Type 347 fire-control radar (for automatic 37 mm guns)

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★ Racal RM-1290 navigation radar (J-band)

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★ High pole IFF

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★ Pegas 2M & Tamir 2 medium-frequency hull-mounted sonar

★ 'Armament '

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★ 16 x YJ-83 (C-803) anti-ship missiles in 4 x quad launcher boxes

★
★ 1 x 8-cell HQ-7 Surface-to-air missile launcher + 16 spare missiles

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★ 2 x twin 100 mm guns

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★ 4 x Type 76A dual-37 mm automatic AA guns

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★ 2 x Type 75 (FQF-2500) 12 barrel 240 mm ASW rocket launchers (120 rockets)

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★ 2 x triple 324 mm Yu-7 torpedo launchers

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★ 4 x DC projectors + 4 DC racks

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★ 2 x Chaff/decoy rocket launchers

External links

★ Sino Defense Today

★ Global Security

★ Chinese Navy