Exercises Military Diplomacy

China's Navy 49th Escort Task Force Sets Sail for the Gulf of Aden

中国海军第49批护航编队起航赴亚丁湾

PLA Daily (解放军报) 12 August 2026

Summary

The PLA Navy's 49th Escort Task Force departed Sanya, Hainan on August 12, comprising the Type 052D destroyer Kunming, Type 054A frigate Yueyang, and replenishment ship Luomahu—all Southern Theater Command Navy vessels—plus two helicopters and special operations personnel, bound to relieve the 48th task force in the Gulf of Aden. The Kunming is making its first escort deployment, and the pre-deployment training cycle explicitly emphasized 全要素实战化训练 (all-element combat-realistic training), including live weapons employment and convoyed escort drills. The article documents the rotation as routine but records the Kunming's inaugural operational deployment and the institutional framing of Gulf of Aden missions as a venue for combat-realistic preparation rather than purely constabulary work.

Translation

Xinhua News Agency, Sanya, August 12 (Li Bingxuan, Wang Huangfei) — China's Navy 49th Escort Task Force cast off lines and departed on the morning of the 12th from a military port in Sanya, Hainan, bound for the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to relieve the 48th Escort Task Force in carrying out escort missions.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., to the strains of stirring military music, the task force's vessels cast off in succession and slowly pulled away from the pier. On deck, the escorting officers and soldiers stood in high spirits, formed up in neat ranks, and waved farewell to the motherland and their loved ones.

The 49th Escort Task Force is composed primarily of Southern Theater Command Navy forces, and includes the missile destroyer Kunming, the missile frigate Yueyang, and the large ocean-going comprehensive replenishment ship Luomahu, along with 2 embarked helicopters and dozens of special operations personnel. All three warships were independently designed and built by China; among them, the Kunming is executing an escort mission for the first time.

During the mission preparation phase, the task force headquarters kept a close watch on the risks, challenges, and actual threats that escort operations might face, and in accordance with the requirements for all-element combat-realistic training (全要素实战化训练), focused on targeted training in areas including live weapons employment, convoyed escort, and underway replenishment.

Original Chinese

新华社三亚8月12日电（李秉宣、汪黄飞）中国海军第49批护航编队12日上午从海南三亚某军港解缆起航，赴亚丁湾、索马里海域接替第48批护航编队执行护航任务。上午10时30分许，在雄壮的军乐声中，编队舰艇依次解缆，缓缓驶离码头。甲板上，护航官兵精神抖擞，整齐列队，向祖国和亲人挥手告别。第49批护航编队主要由南部战区海军兵力组成，包括导弹驱逐舰昆明舰、导弹护卫舰岳阳舰和大型远洋综合补给舰骆马湖舰，携带舰载直升机2架、特战队员数十名。3艘军舰均由我国自主设计建造，其中，昆明舰为首次执行护航任务。任务准备阶段，编队指挥所紧盯护航行动可能面临的风险挑战与实际威胁，按照全要素实战化训练要求，重点开展了实际使用武器、伴随护航、航行补给等针对性训练。