China Commissions 8th Quasi-Stealthy, High-Tech, Missile-Armed Type 055 Destroyer

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington D.C.) The Chinese Navy has now commissioned its 8th quasi-stealthy, high-tech and heavily armed Type-055 Destroyer, a development likely noticed by the Pentagon as the PRC Navy continues to accelerate both ship production quantity as well as advanced technology development.

Built with what looks like a curved US Navy Zumwalt-like stealthy configuration, China’s Type-055 destroyer looks like a hybrid blend between the stealthy Zumwalt-class destroyers and greatly up-gunned U.S. Navy DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It has concentrated Vertical Launch Systems, a smoother, straighter hull configuration with fewer radar signature-increasing protruding structures such as guns on the side, deck masts or antennas.

Unlike the nearly completely smoothed over Zumwalt-class deck and hull structure, the Chinese Type-055 does have DDG 51-like protruding antennas on its back half, something which could reduce its stealth properties by virtue of being vertical structures likely to be detected by radar return “pings” and also emit a potentially detectable electromagnetic signature. 

Video Above: US Congressman: Navy Needs Drones, Light Amphibious Warship and 5th-Gen Air Supremacy to Counter China

The Chinese Communist party backed Global Times newspaper says the Type 055 destroyers are engineered for multi-mission operations to include land-attack, open water maritime warfare and anti-submarine missions. The new Chinese ships are armed with rocket-propelled torpedoes, operate sub-hunting helicopters and advanced sonar systems.

A recent report in the Chinese government-backed Global Times newspaper says “the PLA Navy commissioned its first Type 055 large destroyer, the Nanchang, in January 2020. Since then, the Lhasa, the Anshan, the Wuxi, the Dalian and the Yan’an have also entered service.”