China commissions new spy ship

The commissioning of the PLA Navy’s CNS Kaiyangxing on Tuesday | Photo: China Daily

The PLA Navy launched a new electronic reconnaissance ship – the sixth surveillance vessel operated by the Chinese navy.

According to China Daily, this is the first time the PLA Navy has discussed its spy ships in such detail.

The report said:

The CNS Kaiyangxing, or Mizar, with hull code 856, was delivered to a combat support flotilla of the North Sea Fleet on Tuesday morning in Qingdao, Shandong province, Modern Navy said on its WeChat account on Wednesday.

The Kaiyangxing is capable of conducting all-weather, round-the-clock reconnaissance on multiple and different targets, the report said, adding that the ship is so sophisticated that only a few countries, such as the United States and Russia, are capable of developing it.

Admittedly, we’re also a little bemused over the fact that the PLA Navy has a WeChat account.

More details:

The Kaiyangxing is a Type 815A electronic reconnaissance ship, which has a full displacement of 6,000 metric tons and a maximum speed of 20 knots, or 37 kilometers per hour, according to the Modern Navy report, which added that it is equipped with three small-caliber naval guns.

Adding, helpfully:

In 2016, the PLA Navy commissioned a total of 18 ships, including a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, three Type 054A guided missile frigates and six Type 056 corvettes.

These ships have a total displacement of 150,000 tons, roughly half of the overall displacement of the Royal Navy.