China developing new type of destroyer with superior stealth: media

China is developing a new type of guided-missile destroyer that is larger and stealthier than its present destroyers, an influential China newspaper said Friday.

The China Youth Daily said the new destroyer, believed to refer to 052D vessels now in construction, are the next generation of the 052C destroyers China's Navy currently operates.

The newspaper said the new type of destroyer has maintained an emphasis on seaworthiness and durability but has also been designed for greater stealth.

In addition, it has an improved active phased array radar (APAR) , which is believed to be developed from earlier radar systems mounted on 052C destroyers, and a new vertical launching system that can support different types of missile systems.

Some people have described the O52C as the "Chinese Aegis," comparing it to the United States Navy's Aegis-equipped destroyers.

U.S. media reported earlier this month that China recently unveiled its first group of 052D destroyers with a displacement of 6,000 tons, marking a new stage in the Chinese Navy's long-term experimentation with different destroyers.

Reports also said that if China has between 10 and 15 052D destroyers into the battleground, it will become the second largest combat force on sea in the Asia Pacific region after the U.S. Navy.