One of the most moving episodes in the Chinese blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2 is the one in which the captain of a Type D guided-missile destroyer shouts "Fire! Instead, the Navy has sent other vessels to the once pirate-plagued waters to protect civilian vessels for nearly 11 years.
That is about to change, as the Navy has decided to dispatch a Type D to take part in its latest escort mission. The Xining, with the number on its hull, was commissioned in January The flotilla set sail from a naval base in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Aug It will travel at least 11, kilometers before reaching the Gulf of Aden in the next two weeks.
A Type D destroyer has a standard displacement of 6, metric tons, according to the Navy. It carries a wide range of weapons, including a single-barrel mm naval gun, a close-in weapon system, 64 HHQ-9 long-range antiaircraft missiles and YJ or YJ cruise missiles. The vessel uses a host of cutting-edge technologies. The Navy said that the Type D destroyer has a stealth design and can act as a flagship for a strike group.
It is capable of conducting anti-ship, anti-submarine and air defense operations, and has been described by some Western observers as a "carrier killer". The Navy has built at least 17 Type Ds and 11 of them are in service, according to military observers who follow the weapons' development of the PLA Navy. The 33rd escort flotilla has more than officers and sailors, including dozens of special operations troops.
The Navy began to carry out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia in December In the past decade, it has sent ships and more than 28, naval personnel to escort at least 6, Chinese and foreign ships, according to the Navy.
