The Type 052D, also called the Luyang III or Kunming class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer family built for area air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and strike missions. The class pairs Type 346-series phased-array radar with a 64-cell vertical launch system, and later Type 052DL ships stretch the stern aviation area for a larger helicopter while production continues from Jiangnan and Dalian yards.
Chinese reporting on Eastern Theater Command exercises around Taiwan said CNS Nanjing, a Type 052D destroyer, appeared in command videos as naval forces deployed east of Taiwan for blockade, area-denial, air-defense, and related training tasks during the August 2022 crisis.
PLAN Type 052D-class destroyer Guilin (164) was documented in the 11 August 2025 Scarborough Shoal incident, cutting across BRP Suluan during Chinese blocking and water-cannon actions before colliding with China Coast Guard vessel 3104.
The Type 052D is the PLAN destroyer class that NATO and U.S.-oriented references call Luyang III. Open naval references also use Kunming class after the lead ship, while Type 052DL is the common shorthand for the lengthened later-production ships.
| Name | Use | Source-backed detail |
|---|---|---|
| Type 052D | Chinese type | Guided-missile destroyer class that entered service with CNS Kunming in March 2014. |
| Luyang III | NATO/OSD name | Western reporting name used by naval reference sources for the Type 052D family. |
| Type 052DL | Later variant | Lengthened stern aviation area and updated radar fit reported on later ships. |
The class develops the Type 052C hull line into a larger multi-role destroyer with flat-panel phased-array radar and a 64-cell vertical launch system split between forward and aft groups. Reported weapons include HHQ-9-family air-defense missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine weapons, a 130 mm main gun, and close-in defensive systems.
Type 346A radar and 64 VLS cells give the class long-range fleet air-defense capability in addition to surface and submarine attack options.
Type 052DL ships add roughly four meters aft, mainly around the hangar and flight deck, to support a larger helicopter.
The Type 052D family is usually split between the original Luyang III destroyer and the stretched Type 052DL configuration. The DL form keeps the same broad destroyer role but lengthens the stern aviation area and is associated with later production and larger helicopter operations.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Type 052D | Baseline Luyang III destroyer | Original configuration; Kunming entered service in March 2014, with about 157 m length and 7,500-ton full-load displacement reported by Naval News. Sources: China's Luyang III/Type 052D Destroyer Is a Potent Adversary, China Launches Two More Type 052DL Destroyers in Dalian |
| Type 052DL | Stretched aviation variant | Introduced from Zibo according to Naval News; about four meters longer around the hangar and flight deck to accommodate larger helicopter operations. Sources: Five Type 052D Destroyers Under Construction in China, China Launches Two More Type 052DL Destroyers in Dalian |
| Late Type 052D radar-upgrade fit | Recent upgraded-production configuration | Chinese official and state-linked reporting identifies recent ships such as Loudi and Ganzi with upgraded radar, weapon, or network systems. Sources: PLA Navy Commissions New Type 052D Destroyer, PLA Navy's New Type 052D Conducts Combat Drills |
The Type 052D's 64-cell universal vertical-launch system is reported with area-air-defense, antiship, land-attack, and anti-submarine missile options; only exact local catalog matches are linked here.
| Launched item | Item type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Naval area-air-defense missile family | The Luyang III / Type 052D is reported with an extended-range HHQ-9 surface-to-air missile variant in its 64-cell VLS; the linked HQ-9 family record includes HHQ-9 naval aliases. Sources: China Military Power: Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win, China's Luyang III/Type 052D Destroyer Is a Potent Adversary |
Open ship lists record Kunming, the first Type 052D, as launched during the early production run at Jiangnan.
CNS Kunming entered active service with the South Sea Fleet, marking the class's operational introduction.
The Type 052DL configuration added roughly four meters around the hangar and flight deck, with Zibo identified as the first ship of the stretched variant.
Naval News reported five Type 052D destroyer hulls taking shape at Dalian, while Jiangnan also remained part of the production base.
Chinese state-linked reporting said Tongchuan, hull 177, had joined the South Sea Fleet and brought commissioned Type 052D destroyers to 35.
Production is distributed between Jiangnan-Changxing near Shanghai and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company in northern China. Naval News reporting in 2020 credited Jiangnan with 18 Type 052D hulls and Dalian with 9 over the previous eight years, and later reporting showed multiple Dalian hulls being built in parallel.
| Yard | Role | Production evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Jiangnan-Changxing | Builder | Identified as one of the two yards still building Type 052D/052DL destroyers for the PLAN. |
| Dalian Shipbuilding | Builder | Reported with five Type 052D hulls in one construction dock in 2022 and two more Type 052DL launches in 2023. |
