Type 055 Destroyer

Type-055-warship

The Type 055 Destroyer is a Chinese stealth guided-missile destroyer. Build for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. It has a design for multi-mission, the combination of sensors and weapons provides the main role of area air defense, with anti-submarine warfare capabilities surpassing those of previous Chinese surface combatants.

Also called Renhai-class cruise (NATO/OSD designation Renhai-class cruiser) 

The Type 055 is considered one of the most advanced and powerful warships in China's fleet, capable of blue-water expeditionary missions and serving as the primary escort for Chinese aircraft carriers

preview

• Developers
• Changxingdao-Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai, and
• Dalian Shipyard, Liaoning Operators 
• People's Liberation Army Navy
• Cost CN¥6 billion (US$888 million) per unit including R&D (FY 2017)
• Type       
• Guided-missile destroyer 
• Guided-missile cruiser (per NATO)

Specifications

• Displacement :  11,000 tonnes (standard) & 12–13,000 tonnes (full load)
• Length :      180 m (590 ft 7 in)
  
• Beam :       20 m (65 ft 7 in)
  
• Draught :  6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
• Installed power : 6 × QD-50 turbine generators (5 MW (6,700 hp) each) 
• Propulsion COGAG4 × QC-280 gas turbines (28 MW (38,000 hp) each) 
• Speed 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
• Range 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)

• 

  Type-055-radar

  Sensors 
• Type 346B Dragon Eye (C/S-band) radar, 
• X-band radar Electronic warfare & decoys
  
• Electronic warfare system

1. Type 726-4 decoy launchers

Armament

1. 1 × 130 mm H/PJ-45 gun
2. 1 × 30 mm H/PJ-11 CIWS
3. 1 × 24-cell HHQ-10 short range surface-to-air missile launcher
4. 112 GJB 5860-2006 VLS cells
5. HHQ-9 long range surface-to-air missiles
6. YJ-18A anti-ship missiles
7. YJ-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles
8. CJ-10 land-attack cruise missile

Anti-submarine missiles

1. 2 × sets of 324mm torpedo tubes
2. Yu-7 torpedoes

Aircraft carried 2 medium-lift helicopters

1. Harbin Z-9
2. Changhe Z-18
3. Harbin Z-20

Aviation facilities

• Stern hangar
• Helicopter landing platform

Type 055 destroyer 

The Type 055 destroyer has a relatively recent operational history, as it entered service in January 2020. Here are some key points:

• First Ship: The first Type 055 destroyer, Nanchang, was launched in 2017 and commissioned in 2020.

• Additional Ships: Between 2017 and 2020, a total of eight Type 055 destroyers were built at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and Dalian Shipyard in Liaoning. By 2022, six of these ships were commissioned, with the remaining two expected to join the fleet by 2023.

• Operational Role: These destroyers are designed for multi-mission roles, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare. They are also expected to serve as the primary escort for Chinese aircraft carriers

• Deployment: The Type 055 destroyers have been actively deployed in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, showcasing China's growing naval capabilities.

The Type 055 destroyers represent a significant step in China's efforts to build a blue-water navy capable of sustained operations across open oceans.

The Type 055 undertakes blue-water expeditionary missions and forms the primary escort for Chinese aircraft carriers. The United States classifies these ships as cruisers as the United States Navy (USN) defines a cruiser as a large multi-mission surface combatant with flag facilities; this suggests the U.S. expects the Type 055 to fulfill a similar role to the USN's Ticonderoga-class cruiser.