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The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

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to the <strong>PLA</strong>N. Additionally, the 052B class destroyers<br />

(168 <strong>and</strong> 169) are outfitted to serve as task group comm<strong>and</strong><br />

ships; Wuhan, though less advanced, reportedly<br />

served as the task group flagship because of its “oper<strong>at</strong>ional<br />

tasks” <strong>and</strong> “arrangement of equipment.” 46<br />

<strong>The</strong> 23,000-ton Fuchi-class Weishanhu, China’s<br />

largest supply ship <strong>and</strong> one of its three newest, has a<br />

maximum speed of 19 knots, can carry two helicopters,<br />

is armed with eight 37 mm guns, <strong>and</strong> carries 130<br />

crew members. It was China’s most experienced replenishment<br />

ship, having particip<strong>at</strong>ed in Sino-British<br />

Friendship 2007 exercise near the English Channel<br />

<strong>and</strong> Sino-French Friendship 2007 exercise in the Mediterranean.<br />

47 Table 1 provides further details for vessels<br />

deployed in the first four task forces.<br />

304

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