China takes delivery of the 4th Sovremenny destroyer from Russia

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Wednesday August 23, 2006

Taipei- China has taken delivery of a fourth Sovremenny- class destroyer acquired from Russia, and it will pass through the Taiwan Strait in a few days, a Taiwan report said Wednesday. ETToday.com newspaper, quoting an unidentified military source, said China had taken delivery and China's East Sea Fleet would escort the destroyer through the Taiwan Strait to its home base.

The Taiwanese and US navies were keeping a close eye on the vessel. "The US Seventh Fleet has come to the Taiwan Strait to monitor the Sovremenny destroyer's passing through the Taiwan Strait," the source added.

The Sovremenny destroyers are the latest boost to the Chinese Navy's fleet, after China's introduction of eight Russian-made Kilo- class diesel-electric submarines.

Under a 1996 agreement, China bought two Sovremenny destroyers and in 2002 signed a 1.4-billion-US-dollar contract for two more. China took delivery of the third Sovremenny destroyer at the end of 2005.

Each is equipped with eight supersonic 3M-80E Moskit SS-N-22 Sunburn (sea-skimming) and two SA-N-7 launchers. The Sovremenny class was constructed primarily for surface operations.

The displacement of this class exceeds that of any other Chinese surface warship by at least 50 per cent, indicative of the overall improvement in combat potential, naval sources said. The steam turbine used in the main engine suits extended high-speed voyages.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur