Posted on 11/05/2017 7:00:56 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
China has accelerated the deployment of its ace guided-missile destroyers, known as Type 055, as four of the latest-generation warships, capable of attacking targets onshore, offshore and underwater, are being built at the nation’s two largest shipyards in Shanghai and Dalian.
The latter is also the home port of the first Chinese-built aircraft carrier.
When the first ship of the 055 class was launched at the end of June in Shanghai, China’s official media offered scant details of the brand-new destroyer, though some observers reckoned that it might be the largest warship in the Asia-Pacific region except for aircraft carriers.
But an expert with the PLA Naval University of Engineering revealed at a forum at the end of last month that the nation’s first super-destroyer, of 186 meters long and 21 meters wide with a displacement of up to 12,300 tons, would soon be at sea to give a big lift to the People’s Liberation Army’s naval strength.
The 055 may be the only ship in any navy that can rival the US military’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Chinese news portal Sina quoted the expert as saying.
Arleigh Burke is the first class of destroyers in the US Navy, built around the Aegis Combat System. The hallmark of the mighty warship is its multi-mission capabilities to combine anti-aircraft warfare with surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine warfare with anti-submarine rockets, and anti-surface and strategic land-strike missiles.
Firing Tomahawk cruise missiles from an Arleigh Burke destroyer far offshore against ground targets is usually a sign of Washington’s declaration of war.
Now it won’t be way off the mark to conclude that the 055-class destroyers are China’s equivalent to the Arleigh Burke ships.
(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...
Can't just call it a Cruiser eh?
Well, I shouldn't be talking, here in the West it would be a "Five Billion Dollar Littoral Humanitarian Aid Platform" or some such Congressional Gobbledygook.
Looks like a 64 cell VLS forward. Looks a lot like new generation USN ships. Form follows function, or just stolen plans, I wonder.
I wish I could find some grounds to disagree with you, but I cannot.
Who did they steal the plans from ?
I agree with post 3 above, definitely stolen/hacked plans from the US builder or our leaky US government.
As said in the article:
“Now it won’t be way off the mark to conclude that the 055-class destroyers are China’s equivalent to the Arleigh Burke ships.”
Even the Burke’s are border-line light cruisers. This is why the USN needs to bring back the fast frigates. The fleet needs to shift is balance and get more hulls in the water with increased emphasis on ASW.
Nice looking ship.
“The 055 may be the only ship in any navy that can rival the US military’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Chinese news portal Sina quoted the expert as saying. “
That seals it.
The Chinese are experts at creating cheap copies. They look just like the real thing, sometimes with dramatic, cartoonish enhancements in appearance.
And their media will hype the product like the propaganda arm of the party they are.
But it’s all crap. All of it.
They still cannot build a decent jet engine. Even with Russia giving them the plans, blueprints and manufacturing methods.
Truly a Paper Tiger.
And don’t get me going on their submarines.
There’s a Seaman in Hawaii right now monitoring the comings and goings out of Hainan Island...by hull number.
Thank you! Let's look at the numbers:
Modern Zumwalt class destroyer: length of 600 ft, displacement of 14.500 tons.
1930's Northampton class heavy cruiser: length of 600 ft, displacement of 9,000 tons.
It's like the Japanese calling their helicopter carriers "destroyers" because their modern constituion forbids them from having carriers.
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