A new project began in the late 1960s when it was becoming obvious to the
Soviet Navy that naval guns still had an important role particularly in support of amphibious landings, but existing gun
cruisers and
destroyers were showing their age. A new design was started, employing a new automatic
gun turret. The Type 956EM ships were in length, with a
beam of and a
draught of . The Chinese
People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force (PLAN) had two modified
Sovremenny-class destroyers delivered in December 1999 and November 2000. In 2002, the PLAN ordered two improved versions designated 956-EM. The first vessel was launched in late 2005, while the second was launched in 2006. All four vessels were commissioned to the
East Sea Fleet. The project cost 600 million
US$ (mid-1990s price) for Project 956E (two ships), and 1.4 billion US$ (early-2000s price) for Project 956EM (two ships). == Construction and career ==