Recently, Indonesia announced a major plan for its naval development, and in the presentation, the “destroyer” section prominently featured an image and labeling of the Chinese export version of Type 052DE “Whale Shark 6000”. Both the illustrations and labels in the official Indonesian Navy presentation clearly indicate that this is a destroyer from China, so it’s definitely not a temporary mistake. However, this news has surprised many people. How could a country like Indonesia also qualify for the procurement of the 052DE? Moreover, Indonesia has already stated that its navy has completed the inspection of the ship, showing a firm stance of “whether China sells it or not, we’re going to buy it”.
The Whale Shark 6000 destroyer is the highest-quality model version in the naval warship section of China’s foreign military trade. According to official data, the ship has a displacement of 6000 tons, a length of 159 meters, equivalent to the “052D with extended flight deck” version, capable of accommodating the Z-20 helicopter or helicopters like the Seahawk from European and American countries.
In addition to retaining the 130mm single-barrel main gun and 1130 close-in weapon system, the ship has also added several single-barrel 30mm stealth secondary guns. The ship’s radar has not only been preserved but also strengthened. Four S-band digital array radars combined with one X-band rapid response/low-altitude blind-spot fill active phased array radar make up the latest standard of the Chinese Navy’s newest batch of 052DM, which the export version Whale Shark 6000 has already achieved. As for onboard firepower, the export version includes the HHQ-9B and YJ-21E, YJ-18E missiles as standard. It can be said that the Whale Shark 6000 is an enhanced version of Type 052D, except for limited missile weapons, it is not inferior to Type 052DM used by the Chinese Navy in other aspects.
As for why Indonesia wants to procure the Whale Shark 6000 destroyer, analysts suggest that firstly, Indonesia is considering its own maritime interests and needs to build a large navy. Indonesia is a country with a highly sensitive geopolitical location. It can cut off the maritime lifeline to the Indian Ocean for Japan and South Korea at any time if it wishes, as well as cut off all maritime connections to Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and the South China Sea. Given its crucial position, Indonesia naturally attracts the attention of ASEAN, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. Moreover, the Philippines is within Indonesia’s “surrounding” area, which means it needs to build a strong navy to navigate multiple interests. The reason for choosing China’s Whale Shark 6000 is also its second strategic consideration.
Although the Whale Shark 6000 destroyer may not be able to compete with China’s 055 destroyer and the domestically used Type 052D destroyer in terms of missile weapons, its configuration is more than capable of defeating many vessels, including those of neighboring countries and even U.S. Navy destroyers. With the Whale Shark 6000 stationed in its own country, Indonesia can negotiate from a significantly advantageous position under the joint intervention of multiple forces.
It’s worth noting that Type 052DE destroyer is internationally recognized as a “balance disruptor”. Three to four of them can change regional confrontation dynamics, six to eight can control the dynamics of surrounding waters, and twelve would establish absolute dominance within the region. When Saudi Arabia wanted to buy 12 Type 052DE destroyers, it prompted the U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin to intervene personally, indicating the terrifying combat power of Type 052DE.
