China Constructs Most Advanced Surface Combatant Ships In The World, The Type 055’s

China has a new addition to its expanding naval fleet, the Type 055 class-guided missile destroyer, which is said to be the most advanced and potent surface combatant in the navy. It is built to undertake several missions and has a massive arsenal and modern electronics.

This class of destroyers is so capable that many experts compare it to the U.S Navy’s cruisers which perform a similar function.

Chris Carlson, a retired U.S Navy captain and naval analyst said that the Type 055 is the best or 2nd best surface combatant in the world.

While U.S Navy seeks to divest from its aging fleet of cruisers, China is expanding its fleet at a rapid pace.

The US Defense Department has said that China might incorporate ballistic missile defence or BMD systems on Type 055, which would enable it to serve a role similar to Japan’s BMD destroyers.

8 Type 055s are currently in service and 3 are being constructed as Beijing is planning to construct at least 16 of these ships.

The class is relatively young but it has gained a reputation of being one of the best in the world.

These ships sailed the waters off the coast of Alaska in 2021, 2022 and 2024 including as part of joint Chinese-Russian patrols. Recently, a Type 055 visited Vanuatu which shows China trying to cement its presence in the South Pacific.

Though both U.S and Chinese navies have 9 cruisers in service, this will not be the case for a long time since China has just begun constructing cruisers but the U.S Navy is decommissioning its cruisers.

The U.S Navy has said that the cruisers’ service lives have almost reached an end and that keeping the ships running will just drain funds.

The Navy is planning to divest from ships that it does not need and invest in new ships that can fill the role of Ticonderogas, like the new Flight III variant of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

However, Congress does not agree with the Navy’s vision to retire all its cruisers since it fears they might come in handy to counter China which might try to seize control of Taiwan by force.

4 Ticonderogas were decommissioned in 2024 and on November 4, U.S Navy Secretary Del Toro said that 3 cruisers planned to be decommissioned in 2026 would remain operational till 2029.

The others will be decommissioned before then. China, on the other hand, is building Type 055s at an unthinkable rate.

References: Yahoo, DNYUZ

Source: Maritime Shipping News