Type 055 destroyer
{{Short description|Chinese guided-missile stealth cruiser/destroyer class}}
{{redirect|Type 055|other uses|Type 55 (disambiguation)}}
The Type 055 destroyer (NATO/OSD designation Renhai-class cruiser){{cite report |last=O'Rourke |first=Ronald |date=7 October 2021 |title=China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities - Background and Issues for Congress |url =https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL33153 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |docket=RL33153 |access-date=1 December 2021 |pages=24–25}} is a class of stealth guided-missile destroyers (rated as guided-missile cruisers per NATO/OSD standard parlance) constructed for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). It has a multi-mission design; the combination of sensors and weapons provides a main role of area air defence, with anti-submarine warfare capabilities surpassing previous Chinese surface combatants.
The Type 055 undertakes blue-water expeditionary missions{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=James R. |url=https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Holmes_Written%20Testimony.pdf |title=Fleet Design with Chinese Characteristics |website=United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission |date=15 February 2018 |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707092509/https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Holmes_Written%20Testimony.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} and forms the primary escort for Chinese aircraft carriers.{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11941/chinas-type-055-super-destroyer-is-a-reality-check-for-the-us-and-its-allies|title=China's Type 055 Super Destroyer Is A Reality Check For The US And Its Allies|last=Rogoway|first=Tyler|work=The Drive|access-date=22 August 2017|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822220648/http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11941/chinas-type-055-super-destroyer-is-a-reality-check-for-the-us-and-its-allies|archive-date=22 August 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} The United States classifies these ships as cruisers{{cite report |author=United States Department of Defense |author-link=United States Department of Defense |date=May 2017 |title=Annual Report To Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2017 |url=https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |page=25 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719115001/https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |archive-date=19 July 2018 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} as the United States Navy (USN) defines a cruiser as a large multi-mission surface combatant with flag facilities;{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=800&ct=4 |title=United States Navy Fact File: Cruisers - CG |date=9 January 2017 |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706075338/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=800&ct=4 |archive-date=6 July 2018 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} this suggests the U.S. expects the Type 055 to fulfill a similar role to the USN's {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}.
Development
The People's Liberation Army Navy was interested in a large destroyer from as early as the late-1960s. A development program, code-named "055", initiated in 1976 was cancelled in 1983 after encountering insurmountable technical obstacles from industrial underdevelopment; for example, the required gas turbine power plants could neither be produced domestically nor imported at acceptable prices.{{cite book |title=Historical Data of Destroyers |series=Historical Data of Chinese Shipbuilding Industry |publisher=China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, Department of Equipment and Technology of People's Liberation Army Navy |pages=10–11 |chapter=Summary of Historic facts （Part 3, Reviews of Large Size Destroyer Research）|language=zh-hans}}
In April 2014, an image emerged of a full-scale mock-up of the Type 055 superstructure—with enclosed integrated mast for radar and other electronics—at the Chinese naval electronic testing range in Wuhan.Caldwell et al.: page 4{{cite web |last1=Lin |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Singer |first2=P.W. |url=http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/eastern-arsenal/next-new-major-chinese-warship-arrives-land |title=The next new major Chinese warship arrives, on land |website=Popular Science |date=9 April 2014 |access-date=29 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430033055/http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/eastern-arsenal/next-new-major-chinese-warship-arrives-land |archive-date=30 April 2015 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}
{{ship|Chinese destroyer|Nanchang||2}}, the first ship of the class,{{cite web |editor-last=Chen |editor-first=Zhuo |url=http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2019-04/26/content_4840496.htm |title=China to commission first Type 055 guided missile destroyer |website=Xinhua |date=26 April 2019 |access-date=28 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428210919/http://eng.mod.gov.cn/news/2019-04/26/content_4840496.htm |archive-date=28 April 2019 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} began construction in 2014 at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai,{{cite web |last1=Rahmat |first1=Ridzwan |url = http://www.janes.com/article/71903/china-launches-largest-surface-combatant-to-date |title=China launches largest surface combatant to date|website=Janes |date=29 June 2017 |access-date=2 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701021523/http://www.janes.com/article/71903/china-launches-largest-surface-combatant-to-date |archive-date=1 July 2017}} and was commissioned on 12 January 2020. Its first public appearance—preceding commissioning—was during the PLAN's 70th-anniversary parade on 23 April 2019.{{cite web |last=Tate |first=Andrew |url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/chinese-navy-puts-newest-platforms-on-display |title=Chinese navy puts newest platforms on display |website=Jane's 360 |date=24 April 2019 |access-date=5 July 2022 |df=dmy-all }} When launched, Nanchang was the largest post-Second World War warship launched in East Asia.{{cite web |last1=Mizokami |first1=Kyle |url=http://www.popsci.com/china-launches-asias-biggest-post-wwii-warship |title=China launches Asia's biggest post-WWII warship |website=Popular Science |date=29 June 2017 |access-date=24 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801194444/http://www.popsci.com/china-launches-asias-biggest-post-wwii-warship |archive-date=1 August 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web |last1=Lin |first1=Jeffrey |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/news/a27120/china-launches-asia-largest-warship/ |title=China Launches Asia's Largest Surface Warship |website=Popular Mechanics |date=28 June 2017 |access-date=15 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815140630/http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/news/a27120/china-launches-asia-largest-warship/ |archive-date=15 August 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}
The first batch of eight vessels to this design was laid down from 2014 to 2018, and all were in service by the end of 2022.Jane's Fighting Ships, 2023-24 Edition, ISBN 978-0-7106-3428 3, page 138. Further hulls under construction, observed by satellite imagery, including two at Dalian in January 2022, and two at Jiangnan, as part of a second batch of eight vessels (to reach a total of 16) under procurement provided for in the 14th Five Year Programme (2021–2025), aimed to equip all three Fleets.{{cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/12/hints-of-chinese-naval-ambitions-in-the-2020s//|title=Hints of Chinese Naval Ambitions in the 2020s|website=The Diplomat|date=25 December 2020|access-date=25 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225050824/https://thediplomat.com/2020/12/hints-of-chinese-naval-ambitions-in-the-2020s/|archive-date=25 December 2020|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}
Satellite imagery reveals that the ninth and tenth vessels of the class have been launched at Dalian and Jiangnan respectively, with the 11th and 12th units nearing launch at these two yards.{{Cite web |last=Luck |first=Alex |date=2024-05-28 |title=China launches 10th Type 055 Vessel, increases production |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/05/dalian-shipbuilding-launches-type-055-increases-production-at-dagushan/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Naval News |language=en-US}}
Design
=Stealth=
The Type 055 adopts a conventional flared hull with distinctive stealthy features including an enclosed forecastle that hides mooring points, anchor chains, and other equipment. The bow and main deckhouse are configured similarly to previous Type 052C/D destroyers. A continuous structure located amidships increases internal volume and reduces radar cross-section. The smokestack design reduces both infrared signature and radar cross-section.{{cite web |first=Rick |last=Joe |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-new-stealth-destroyer/ |title=All You Need to Know About China's New Stealth Destroyer |website=The Diplomat |date=8 June 2018 |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613005400/https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-new-stealth-destroyer/ |archive-date=13 June 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} Chinese sources credit the design as being generally stealthy, with reduced radar, noise, infrared and electromagnetic radiation signatures.{{cite web|last1=Lendon|first1=Bard|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/28/asia/china-navy-new-destroyer/index.html|title=China's newest destroyer seen as challenge to Asia rivals|website=CNN|date=28 June 2017|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628204655/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/28/asia/china-navy-new-destroyer/index.html|archive-date=28 June 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}
=Powerplants=
Propulsion is generated by four {{cvt|28|MW|hp}} QC-280 gas turbines in combined gas and gas (COGAG) arrangement. Additional power may be provided by six {{cvt|5|MW|hp}} QD-50 gas turbines.
The maximum flank speed is estimated to be {{convert|30|knot|lk=in}}.
=Electronics=
Chinese literature suggests that the Type 055 is capable of "facilitat[ing] command management of a battlegroup and supporting elements". The command-and-control and battle management systems are likely comparable to contemporary PLAN systems, which reflect over a decade of intensive interest in information integration from the late 2000s.Caldwell et al.: page 9
Multiple sensors are housed inside the integrated mast and ship superstructure.{{cite web|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/march/type-055-renhai-class-cruiser-chinas-premier-surface-combatant |title=Type 055 Renhai-class Cruiser: China's Premier Surface Combatant |website=U.S. Naval Institute |date=March 2023 |first=Eric |last=Wertheim }} The class has a dual-band radar system; four S-band Type 346B Dragon Eye active electronically scanned array (AESA) panels are mounted on the superstructure, and four smaller{{cite web|url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/more-details-emerge-about-detection-capabilities-of-type-055-destroyers-radar |title=More details emerge about detection capabilities of Type 055 destroyer's radar |website=Janes |date=13 October 2020|access-date=26 April 2021|first=Andrew |last=Tate}} X-bandCaldwell et al.: page 8 panels are mounted on the mast. The Type 346B panels are estimated to be 40% larger than the Type 052D destroyer's Type 346A panels, for greater transmission power and sensitivity. Chinese sources claim the radar has anti-stealth capability{{cite web|url=https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2020/october/9095-chinese-type-055-destroyer-has-anti-stealth-and-anti-satellite-capabilities.html |title=Chinese Type 055 destroyer has anti-stealth and anti-satellite capabilities |website=Navy Recognition |date=12 October 2020 | access-date=26 April 2021}} and can be used to guide anti-satellite missiles.
The ship structure also contains navigation radars, various communication and intelligence systems, electronic warfare support measures (ESM), electronic countermeasures (ECM), electro-optical (EO) sensors, laser-warning systems, optronic jammers, and datalink systems. They are likely more advanced than those deployed on previous ships.
A deployment port exists for variable depth and towed array sonar. The large bulbous bow likely contains a bow sonar; the Type 055 may mount a larger bow sonar than previous Chinese surface combatants.
=Armament=
The primary armament is missiles carried in 112 vertical launching system (VLS) cells,{{cite web |last1=Tate |first1=Andrew |date=3 July 2018 |title=China launches two Type 055 destroyers simultaneously in Dalian |url=http://www.janes.com/article/81499/china-launches-two-type-055-destroyers-simultaneously-in-dalian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704153941/http://www.janes.com/article/81499/china-launches-two-type-055-destroyers-simultaneously-in-dalian |archive-date=4 July 2018 |access-date=5 July 2018 |website=Janes |df=dmy-all}} 64 cells forward and 48 cells aft. The same VLS model is used on the Type 052D destroyer, which is believed to be an implementation of the GJB 5860-2006 standard;{{cite web |editor-last=Wang |editor-first=Weixing |url=http://news.inewsweek.cn/news-32022-p-3.html|title=谜一样的战舰 从052D驱逐舰看中舰艇系统 |trans-title=A Ship of Mystery: The Shipborne Systems of Type 052D |language=zh |date=4 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011231629/http://news.inewsweek.cn/news-32022-p-3.html|archive-date=2012-10-11}} the GJB 5860-2006 is capable of hot and cold launches using concentric canisters.{{cite news |last1=Bussert |first1= James C. |url=https://www.afcea.org/content/china%E2%80%99s-navy-deploys%E2%80%A8-three-tier-defensive-weapons |title=China's Navy Deploys Three-Tier Defensive Weapons |newspaper=Afcea International |publisher=AFCEA |date=1 July 2013 |accessdate=29 April 2019}} The longest variant, with 9-metre cells, is likely used. The Type 055 is expected to carry HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles, CJ-10 land-attack cruise missiles, and missile-launched anti-submarine torpedoes upon entering service. Potentially, the larger cells may also carry anti-ship ballistic missiles.Caldwell et al.: pages 11-12{{Cite web|date=2020-09-12|title=Will China upgrade its destroyers with 'carrier killer' missiles?|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3101244/will-china-upgrade-its-destroyers-carrier-killer-missiles|access-date=2020-12-14|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}}
Additional armament includes a 130 mm main gun, an 11-barrel 30 mm close-in weapon system (CIWS), a HHQ-10 short-range air defense system, 324 mm torpedo launchers, and decoy launchers. There is hangar space for two helicopters.
Future developments
It has been suggested that future variants may be armed with lasers or electromagnetic railguns. Since the current design does not have integrated electric propulsion, installation of integrated electric propulsion will be required for the ship to meet the estimated power requirements for such weapons in the future.{{cite web |editor1-last=Zhang |editor1-first=Tao |url=http://english.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2015-01/08/content_6302025.htm |title=Expert: Don't overanalyze PLAN's type-055 destroyer |website=China Military Online |date=8 January 2015 |access-date=3 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427235751/http://english.chinamil.com.cn/news-channels/china-military-news/2015-01/08/content_6302025.htm |archive-date=27 April 2015 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}
In 2021, the United States Department of Defense identified the Type 055 as the future launch platform for China's naval-based mid-course interceptors, such as the HQ-19 anti-ballistic missiles.{{cite report |author=United States Department of Defense |author-link=United States Department of Defense |date=May 2017 |title=Annual Report To Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2021 |url=https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/03/2002885874/-1/-1/0/2021-CMPR-FINAL.PDF |page=80 }}
Ships of class
See also
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= Sources =
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite report |last1 = Caldwell |first1 = Daniel |last2 = Freda |first2 = Joseph |last3 = Goldstein |first3 = Lyle J. |date = February 2020 |title = China's Dreadnought? The PLA Navy's Type 055 Cruiser and Its Implications for the Future Maritime Security Environment |series = CMSI China Maritime Reports |volume = 5 |url = https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-maritime-reports/5/ |publisher = United States Naval War College |access-date = 9 April 2020 }}
{{refend}}
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{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy}}
{{Type 055 destroyer}}