Of four 6,000-7,000-ton guided-missile destroyers building at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai for the Chinese People's Army Navy, two of an initial version referred to as Project 052B—launched in September 2001 and on 25 May 2002—are greatly improved versions of the 502-foot, 6,600-ton Project 52 destroyer Shenzhen, commissioned in 1999. The second pair, the first of which was launched early this year, share the hull and general layout but have enlarged forward superstructures incorporating four sets of angled foundations for a probable fixed, planar-array radar antenna system. The two Project 052B ships also have higher superstructures to starboard of the single-aircraft helicopter hangar, where they are receiving what appear to be four sets of vertical missile launchers, said to be for a surface-to-air missile system called HQ-9 and to be of Russian design origin. Both versions of the destroyer have another array of vertical missile launchers forward of the bridge superstructure; carry a single medium-caliber dual-purpose gun forward; will be equipped with 16 probable C-803 Jing Yi-8-3 antiship missiles; and are to receive two Type 730 gatling gun close-in weapon systems, which have a startling resemblance to the Dutch-designed Goalkeeper. Combined with the two Russian-built Sovremennyy-class destroyers already delivered and the two others ordered last year, these four new ships provide the Chinese People's Army Navy with its first area-defense missile capability. A larger, 8,000-9,000 ton probable air-defense ship is said to be under construction at Dalian.
One of four 540-ton, 204.7-foot guided-missile patrol combatants ordered in June 2000, the Meltem was launched by Friedrich Lurssen Werft at Bremen-Vegesack, Germany, on 25 February for the Turkish Navy. Three earlier variants, the Kilic, Kalkan, and Mizrak, were delivered between February 1998 and June 2000. Two more from the June 2000 order, the Tufan and the Imbat, are under construction at Pendik Naval Shipyard, Istanbul, and three more reportedly were ordered last year. The 38-knot Meltem and later units employ a low radar-reflectivity faceted housing for the 76-mm gun forward and have a Thales LIROD radar and electro-optical director aft for the twin 40-mm gun mount, whereas the earlier three had the electro-optical-only LIOD. All can carry up to eight RGM-84C Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and their four 4,500-brake-horsepower MTU diesels can drive them at up to 38 knots. In other news of the Turkish Navy, the last active U.S. Navy "short-hull" Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7)-class guided-missile frigate, the Estocin (FFG-15), was transferred on 3 April as the Goksu, the eighth ship of the class in Turkish Navy service.
The Chilean Coast Guard is subordinated to the country's General Directorate of Maritime Territory and the Merchant Marine, but its 1,600 personnel are seconded from the Chilean Navy, which also is responsible for providing its new ships and aircraft. A major force modernization is under way with the planned construction of 16 125-ton Project Danubio "General Service Launches." Shown here are the first and second craft to have been completed, the Aysen (background) and the Corral. As of August 2002, 11 of the 27-knot, 108.6-foot craft had been completed by the government-operated ASMAR shipyard; three more are to be ordered this year and two more during 2004. Named for the ports from which they operate, the aluminum-construction Aysen, Corral, Concepcion, Caldera, San Antonio, Antofagasta, Arica, Coquimbo, Puerto Natales, Valparaiso, and Punta Arenas are numbered LSG-1609-1619. Their design is based on a pair of steel-hulled 32-meter Protector-class pilot launches completed for the Chilean Coast Guard in the United Kingdom in 1989. The craft can operate in waters out to 60 nautical miles from Chile's rugged coast-line and carry crews of ten, with additional accommodations for 18 rescuees.