Two ships - Guangzhou and Wuhan - were begun in 2001 and commissioned in July and December 2004 respectively.[1][9]
Programme
In the early 2000's, China pursued multiple - and sometimes concurrent - programmes to acquire modern destroyers, purchasing Sovremennys from Russia and constructing the Type 052B, Type 051C, and Type 052C.[10] These ships also represented steps to develop adequate air defense capabilities by adopting Russian air defense technology.;[11] the 25-km range Uragan (navalized Buk, NATO designation SA-N-7) on the Sovremenny; the 35-km range Shtil-1 on the Type 052B; long-range area air defense with the 150-km range Rif-M (navalized S-300, NATO designation SA-N-20) on the Type 051C;[8] and finally the Chinese 100-km range HHQ-9 (S-300 derivative) on the Type 052D.[12]
The Type 052B's air defence capabilities were obsolete upon entering service when compared to contemporary American and Japanese designs.[13] Nonetheless it represented a considerable general improvement over previous Chinese warships[6] and was the precursor to later Chinese air warfare destroyers.[6][13]
Kirchberger, Sarah (2015). Assessing China's Naval Power: Technological Innovation, Economic Constraints, and Strategic Implications. Global Power Shift. Springer. ISBN978-3-662-47127-2.