The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has quietly inducted the Type 052D-class guided-missile destroyer Ganzhi (page 128) into its fleet.
The ship officially entered service in December 2025, but visual confirmation of its full military capability was only made public after it participated in naval exercises in the Yellow Sea.
Commissioned as the 33rd unit of the Type 052D, Ganzhi reinforces the PLAN’s Northern Fleet at a time when China’s naval program is clearly accelerating. The year 2025 was a historic record for the class: seven units were commissioned in just twelve months — more than double the previous rate of about three ships per year on average.
The Type 052D class is considered a pillar of China’s surface fleet, with advanced radar systems, vertical launch systems, and advanced anti-aircraft and anti-submarine capabilities. The current construction rate suggests that the program will continue to move at a high speed, and the number of Type 052D destroyers may exceed 40 units in the coming years.
The quiet deployment of the Ganzhi and its subsequent appearance in live exercises reflect Beijing’s increasingly frequent practice of reinforcing the expansion of its naval capabilities through actual operational activity by refraining from public announcements.
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Source and images: Chinamil. This content is generated with the help of artificial intelligence and verified by the editors.
