Type 051 (Luda Class) Missile Destroyer

A total of 17 Type 051 (NATO reporting name: Luda class) missile destroyers were built between 1970 and 1991 for the PLA Navy. The class was the PRC’s first independently developed destroyer. Since the 1990s, four hulls (No.109, No.110, No.165, and No.166) have been upgraded with new weapons and sensors in order to improve their anti-surface and air defence capabilities. Decommission of the Type 051 began in late 2007, with Xi’an (hull 106), Jinan (hull 105), and Changsha (hull 161) already retired from active duty. The rest of the ships are expected to be gradually phased out in the coming years as they reach the end of their operational lives.

In the mid-1960s, the PLA Navy sought to build new class of destroyer which would serve as a multipurpose platform for a number of roles, including sizing sea control in offshore waters to eliminate the threat of enemy anti-submarine forces to PRC submarines; obtaining sea dominance against the ROC Navy in the Taiwan Strait; protecting PRC’s interests in the South China Sea; and escorting survey ships to the target zone in the South Pacific for the DF-5 ICBM full-range flight test.

At 3,000 tonnes displacement, the Type 051 was substantially larger than earlier surface combatant operated by the PLA Navy and had almost twice the displacement of the 1,600 tonnes Type 07 (Anshan class) destroyers. The vessel is powered by four boilers and two steam turbines, giving a maximum speed of 32 knots. The destroyer is equipped with a wide range of weapons and sensors for air defence, surface strike, and anti-submarine roles. It was also the first PRC-built surface combatant capable of receiving underway replenishment, which enables it to operate continuously at sea without having to return to its base.

The design of the Type 051 was carried out by 701 Institute based in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The design was officially approved in June 1967, and the first hull No.223 (now Jinan No.105) began construction at the Dalian Shipyard in 1968. The vessel was launched in July 1970 and commissioned by the PLA Navy in December 1971. The first test fire of the HY-1 anti-ship missile from the destroyer was carried out in September 1973, while the design team was still working on finalising the destroyer design.

In 1975, the Type 051 was certified for design finalisation. By then, construction of the destroyer was carried out at three locations simultaneously: Dalian Shipyard, Zhonghua Shipyard (Shanghai), and Guangzhou Shipyard. Later hulls have been added with improved radars. The last two hulls constructed in the late 1980s, No.165 (Zhanjiang) and No.166 (Zhuhai), also feature a C3I system consisting of combat information centre, long-range 3D air/sea-search radar, and ECM suite. Some hulls have completed modernisation programme, during which they received YJ-8 AShM, HQ-7/Crotale SAM, Type 76A dual-37mm AAA, Type 363 (TSR3004 Sea Tiger) air-surface search radar, 324mm ASW torpedo launchers, etc. One of the hulls was also added with a hanger and flight deck to support a Z-9 ASW/SAR helicopter.

Despite its improvement over precious PRC-built surface combatants in size, weapons, and sensors, the Type 051 was often criticized as being deficient in overall combat capabilities and unsuitable for long-endurance sea operations. The destroyer only had limited air defence against a very narrow range of air threats, making it highly vulnerable on modern battlefield at sea. Partially based on the 1950s-era Soviet Kotlin class destroyer, the Type 051 has very limited redundancy to damage in its hull design and extremely poor living condition onboard. Additionally, the destroyer’s radar and communication systems were very dated and there is no NBC protection. Some of these weaknesses have been addressed during the modernisation refit programmes. Ships that have received the refit include Kaifeng (1091), Dalian (110), Zhanjiang (165), and Zhuhai (166).

Nevertheless,  through the Type 051 programme, the PRC shipbuilding industry obtained valuable knowledge and experience in designing and building large surface combatants independently. These knowledge and experience were later applied in the design and building of larger, more advanced destroyers introduced since the 1990s. With more new-generation destroyers and frigates being introduced, the PLA Navy has finally begun to retire its Type 051s. The first two hulls of the class were decommissioned in October 2007. The remaining hulls are expected to be retired from active duty within a decade.

Variants

The Type 051 destroyers have been constructed in three batches and can be identified in seven variants.

Anti-Surface

The Type 051 employs the Type 76 dual-barrel 130mm/58-calibre gun and the HaiYing-1J (HJ-1J, NATO reporting name: CSS-N-1 Silkworm) anti-ship missile. Each of the two Type 76 guns (one front, one rear) fires 33.4kg shells at a rate of 17 rounds/minute to a range of 29km against surface targets. They can also be used for air defence and shore bombardment. Six HY-1J liquid-propellant missiles are housed in two rotatable 3-cell launchers installed in the mid-ship position. The missile uses active radar homing to a maximum range of 70km, flying at subsonic speed (Mach 0.95). The warhead is 513kg.

The Luda-III class (No.166 of the Mod 3 variant) was equipped with eight solid-propellant, 40km-range YingJi-8 (C-801, NATO reporting name: CSS-N-4 Sardine) anti-ship missiles. They have subsequently replaced by sixteen improved YingJi-83 anti-ship missiles during the modernisation refit.

The fire-control for the main guns and AShM was provided by the Type 343G (NATO reporting name: Wasp Head and Wok Won) radar located on top of the bridge.

The strike weapon package for the Mod 4 variant includes the PJ33A dual-barrel 100mm/56-calibre guns and the YJ-83 (NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) anti-ship missiles. The PJ33A gun was developed from the Type 79A dual-100mm gun, but has a redesigned gun house with strong radar cross-section reduction features. Sixteen box-shape YJ-83 missile launchers are organised into four groups, each with four launchers. The YJ-83 employs active radar homing and a turbojet powerplant (with a solid rocket booster). The missile has a reported range of 120km and approaches the target in sea skimming mode at a speed of Mach 0.9. The 165kg shaped charge warhead has time delayed impact proximity fuses.

On No.165 (Zhanjiang) and No.166 (Zhuhai), the Type 343G radar has also been replaced by a more advanced Type 344 radar to provide targeting information for the dual-100mm main guns and YJ-83 AShM.

Air Defence

The early variant Type 051 relies purely on AAA guns to provide limited air defence. Each destroyer has four Type 76 dual-37mm manual/automatic AAA guns and four Type 61 dual-25mm manual AAA guns. On No.166 (Zhuhai), the four Type 76 guns were replaced by four improved Type 76A guns (fully automatic with concealed turret) and the 25mm AAA guns were all removed. The Type 76A guns were directed by two Type 347G fire-control radars (one front, one rear).

The PLA Navy obtained some examples of the French Crotale short-range air-defence missile system in the 1980s and installed one system on No.109 (Kaifeng) for trial and evaluation (Mod 2B). The system includes an 8-cell missile launcher and a Thompson-CSF Castor CTM fire-control radar. Later the missile system was produced in PRC as the HongQi-7. The rear dual 37mm AAA gun on the stern deck of the Type 051 has to be removed in order to provide space for the SAM system. The missile can only be reloaded manually as there is no enough space for the bulky automatic reloader.

The air defence package for the Mod 4 variant includes an HQ-7 SAM system and three Type 76A dual-37mm automatic AAA guns. The 8-cell HQ-7 SAM launcher and the Type 345 (Castor copy) radar are installed on the stern deck, in front of the rear main gun. One Type 76A automatic AAA gun is installed on the bow deck in front of the bridge, and two are installed at the mid-ship position. They are directed by a single Type 347G radar on top of the bridge. No.109 (Kaifeng) also retains two Type 61 dual-25mm manual AAA guns.

The Mod 1/1A/2 variants have a Type 354 (NATO reporting name: Eye Shield) mounted on top of the main mast for air and surface search. The radar has a maximum detection range of 100km against aircraft-sized airborne targets. Long-range 2D air surveillance and early warning is provided by a Type 515 (NATO reporting name: Bean Sticks or Pea Sticks) or Type 517 (NATO reporting name: Knife Rest) radar located behind the rear mast.

The Mod 2B/3 variants were fitted with a Type 381A (NATO reporting name: Rice Screen) long-range 3D air surveillance radar mounted on the rear mast and a combat information centre (CIC), which enable the destroyers to provide air defence intelligence for a whole task force. These hulls served as the flagships of the flotillas in which they were deployed. Following the modernisation upgrade to Mod 4 standard, the Type 381A radar on these hulls has been removed and replaced by a Type 362 (copy of the Thompson-CSF TSR-3004 Sea Tiger).

Anti-Submarine Warfare

All hulls are fitted with two Type 75 (FQF-2500) twelve-barrel 240mm antisubmarine rocket launchers on the bow deck. The rocket is armed with a 34kg warhead and has a maximum range of 1,200m. The destroyer also carries four BMB projectors and four racks for depth charges at the stern. Alternatively the destroyer may carry 38 mines.

The destroyer is fitted with an SJD-II medium-frequency bow-mounted sonar for long-range search, and an SJD-IV medium-frequency hull-mounted sonar for active search and attack. No.166 (Zhuhai) also has a DUBV-43 (ESS-1) towed medium-frequency variable depth sonar (VDS) for active attack.

Mod 3/4 variants are fitted with two Alenia B515S (or its Chinese copy) triple-324mm torpedo launchers, which is used to launch the Yu-7 (copy of the U.S. Mk46 Mod1) anti-submarine torpedo. The Yu-7 carries a 45kg to engage underwater target at a speed of 43kt, and has a maximum range of 7.3km.

Navigation and ECM

The Type 051 employs the Recal Decca series navigation radar co-produced locally under license. These include the Decca 707 (“Fin Curve”) and the more advanced Decca RM-1290.

Mod 1/1A/2/2A/2B are equipped with the ‘High Pole’ IFF and the RW-23-1 (NATO reporting name: Jug Pair) radar warning receivers. No.166 (Zhuhai) was fitted with a Type 825 electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite consisting of interceptors and jammers, but it was removed during the modernisation refit.

The Mod 4 variant is equipped with two Type 946 15-barrelled chaff/decoy launchers.

Command & Control

The Mod 1/1A/2 variants lack the integrated command and control system. Radio and telephone are provided for intra-ship, inter-ship, and ship-to-land communications. The Mod 2A variant was added with a combat information centre for fleet air defence. The Mod 4 variant has been added with a ZJK-4 combat data system developed from the French TAVITAC. Later hulls were all equipped with satellite navigations, satellite communications (SATCOM), and No.11 datalink.

Aviation

No.105 (Jinan)/Mod 1A variant received a refit in 1987, with its rear 130mm gun and AAA gun removed to give space to a 17m X 10.5 X 5.5mm helicopter hanger and a 25m X 12.8m flight deck. The vessel was also added with helicopter landing assistance/handling system and aviation fuel storage to support two Z-9 helicopters.

Propulsion

The propulsion system of the Type 051 destroyer is steam turbines with 4 boilers and 2 turbines rated at 72,000hp (53MW), and 2 shafts, giving a max speed of 32 knots.

Specifications

Displacement: (standard) 3,250t; (full load) 3,670t
Dimensions: Length 132m; Beam 12.8m, Draft 4.6m
Speed: 32 knots
Range: 2,970 miles at 18kt
Crew: 280 (up to 300 maximum, 45 officers)

Ship List

Last update: 1 March 2009