"Military Martial Secondary Plane" author: Lu Zhi
Just recently, foreign media reported that the mainland's export version of the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer has received a large number of orders, causing an uproar. Media in the Middle East released news that Algeria has purchased Type 052D destroyers, and bought six, authorized the construction of three by itself, and purchased three in a package. Then some media said that Saudi Arabia, the mainland's traditional customer, also looked at 052D. Saudi Arabia bought a larger number, directly reaching 12 ships. That is, after 052D went to the UAE to participate in the international maritime defense exhibition, in just a few days, 052D sold 18 ships in one go! You know, the mainland currently in service 052D is only 25, there are 6 under construction, in just a few days, foreign users have purchased most of the Chinese Navy's 052D in one go, and there may be only about 18 similar advanced warships in Europe. So the news is definitely fake, it can't be so fast. So is the future exit road of 052D smooth or bumpy?
▲Image source: Internet
▲Image source: Internet
First of all, it should be noted that Algeria, Saudi Arabia and even other Middle Eastern countries want to buy China's 052D credibility is definitely there, but the number will definitely not be 18 for the time being, and it will not be delivered so quickly in the near future. The mainland's navy, land and air force equipment is exported in large quantities in the Middle East, and the 052D is the world's top warship, and there are definitely many countries to look at. If there are still netizens who don't know and still doubt, or go online and look at more serious things.
▲Image source: Internet
Second, 052D itself has special characteristics, so the export must be certain. There are many export warships in the world, and there are many advanced things, from aircraft carrier amphibious assault ships to missile boats and even unmanned small boats. But in addition to these amphibious ships or landing ships, the most powerful of the real combat warships is the mainland export version of the 052DE. It is true that Japan and South Korea have Aegis warships, especially Japan's Kongo-class warships, which look like the Japanese version of the American Arleigh Burke destroyer, and even the tonnage reaches more than 10,000 tons, which is larger than the Arleigh Burke of the United States. But these warships are only built by relying on the relatively excellent shipbuilding industry of Japan and South Korea, and the real core technology comes from the United States, whether it is the core equipment of Aegis phased array radar or various missiles and helicopters. It is equivalent to saying that the United States only exports some equipment and combat systems, and South Korea and Japan are responsible for assembling them.
▲Image source: Internet
But 052D is different, 052D is a whole warship that is fully packaged and exported by the mainland, so it is a well-deserved world first. All the systems carried by the 052D, including combat systems, radar electronic systems, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine weapons, naval guns, and even anti-submarine helicopters, etc., are produced independently by the mainland, and do not need the other party to have construction capabilities. Most importantly, the mainland can also be customized according to the special needs of foreign users, and even use similar Western equipment, which is also not available in similar warships in the United States.
▲Image source: Internet
Many people may not know much about the real performance of 052D, in fact, simply put, the performance of 052D is almost equivalent to the middle and late versions of Arleigh Burke-class warships, and 052C can already be compared to Arleigh Burke in the early stage. Of course, the disadvantage of 052C and 052D is that the tonnage is small, and the number of weapons they carry is still far behind that of the Arleigh Burke class. This is not the point, because the mainland's focus is on the 055 destroyer, which completely crushed the Arleigh Burke-class warships. Since there are better warships, it is reasonable to export 052D at this time.
▲Image source: Internet
If only from the point of view of the advanced level of weapons, then the export road of 052D will be very smooth, at least in the Middle East to win a large number of orders. Or from the news mentioned at the beginning of the article, if Saudi Arabia can really have 12 Type 052D missile destroyers, then the Saudi Navy may not be able to maintain the status quo, 12 052D high and low must not be equipped with one or two aircraft carriers, and then two 075 amphibious assault ships. Such a naval size is second to none in Europe, an absolute overlord. Don't forget that the 052D also has the Eagle Strike 21E hypersonic anti-ship missile and other types of land-attack missiles, one Type 052D destroyer will have the ability to destroy all the warships of small navies, and 12 052Ds are enough to challenge the world's leading navies. To be used as a land attack, it has the ability to destroy all critical facilities of small and medium-sized countries, rendering them virtually incapacitated.
▲Image source: Internet
That's when the problem arises. Warship exports are often backed by the country's overall strength, and political direction is also critical. The purchase of 18 Type 052D destroyers by countries in the Middle East in a short period of time will greatly affect the strategic balance in the Middle East, which is impossible for the United States to accept, and will certainly be pressured from all sides, repeating the Egyptian Su-35 order. Perhaps the United States cannot subdue China, but it is absolutely capable of tossing Saudi Arabia, and the order for these 12 ships is really necessary, I am afraid that it will also be interfered with by the United States. Judging from the direction of the mainland's current development in Taoguang and Yanghui, the mainland does not want to have friction with the United States in the short term, and time is our best friend and weapon.
▲Image source: Internet
Therefore, selling warships is a long process, and there are too many factors involved. Last time we said that the reason behind Malaysia's purchase of FA50 was political factors, this time the export of 052D, which is much higher, is definitely not as simple as imagined. However, it can also be seen from this that the mainland's large-scale export of advanced weapons and even system weapons has indeed extensively increased its influence, and indeed fundamentally put pressure on the United States. So still in a word, it is recommended to increase the effort!
▲Image source: Internet