Эскадренные миноносцы типа 051

The Type 051 destroyer (NATO/OSD Luda-class destroyer) was a class of guided missile destroyers based on the hull of the Soviet Neustrashimy-class destroyer deployed by China. It was the first guided missile destroyer fielded by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and the first designed and built in China. 17 were built from 1970 to 1990; it was not until the 21st century that China would again build a class in such large numbers.

NATO/OSD broadly grouped variants from refits and newer construction under the Luda I, Luda II, Luda III, and Luda IV classes.

The PLAN began designing a warship armed with guided missiles in 1960 based on the Soviet destroyer Neustrashimy, with features from the Kotlin-class destroyer, but the Sino-Soviet split stopped work. Work resumed in 1965 with nine ships being ordered. Construction started in 1968, with trials beginning in 1971. The ships nominally entered service in the early 1970s, but few were fully operational before 1985; workmanship was poor due to the Cultural Revolution.

Construction of the second batch began in 1977, with the last commissioning in 1991. The second batch may have been ordered due to the Cultural Revolution disrupting development of a successor class. These ships may be designated Type 051D.

The PLAN initiated an abortive modernization program for the first batch in 1982. The ships would be reconstructed with British weapons and sensors acquired from British Aerospace. The Falklands War made the prospective upgrades less impressive and cost effective, and the project was cancelled in 1984. A 1986 upgrade project using American power plants, weapons, sensors, and computers was cancelled because of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

Jinan, the first of class, became a trials ship in 1987; a helicopter hangar and flight deck replaced the rear armament. This configuration was referred to as Luda II.

The last two ships, Zhanjiang and Zhuhai, were upgraded with foreign — mainly French — systems, possibly being designated as Type 051G, and referred to as Luda III. They became test beds and many of the systems were later employed on the Type 052 and Type 051B destroyers. Both ships were decommissioned on 3 September 2020, being the last of their class to retire from service.

Twelve ships of the class — Jinan, Yinchuan, Nanjing, Nanchang, Chongqing, Xining, Zhanijiang, Zhuhai, Hefei, Zunyi, Dalian, & Xi'an — have been preserved as museum ships.