Shanghai JNCX launches the first unit of Type 055 DDG today

[countryman]

Congratulations China! This will be a great asset in recently developed situations in South China Sea!

 

[GS Zhou]

Congratulations China! This will be a great asset in recently developed situations in South China Sea!

Not that quick actually, because construction of the ship has not been finalized yet.

Before the ship commissioning, I think we may still need an additional one and half year for the work like outfitting and sea trail. If everything goes well, I think the ship could be put in service in PLA Navy by end of 2018 (could be a bit later or earlier than this point, depending on how the work goes in reality).

But anyway, it is safe to assume that, by 2020, PLA Navy could deploy two CVBGs in the South China Sea, each consisting of 1x 001/001A carrier, 2x 055 destroyers, 4x 052D destroyers, 2x 095 nuclear subs; And they could get the support from our military bases on the artificial islands in Nansha, plus the assistance from other military assets like stealth fighters J20. And by 2025, I bet China could at least have four CVBGs! By that time, the game rule in South China Sea will become completely different to what it is today.

 

[Daniel808]

The first 055 is about to be launched: here’s seven reasons why it’s a big deal

It’s time
Three years of patience and drip-feeding of information is about to be rewarded, with the launch of the first 055 class destroyer from Jiangnan Changxing shipyard expected to occur within days, with ceremonial signal flags raised and hull painted.


SOON


This site has written quite extensively about the 055 class destroyer, and what to expect from it.

However the launch of the first 055 will likely spark a flurry of media activity from all stripes of bloggers, defence media, and even mainstream news media outlets. Many of these outlets and sites will try to decipher and consider what the consequences of the 055 class destroyer will be. However, few of those outlets will likely have had continuous PLA following experience, and even fewer are likely to have had the step by step analysis of the trickle of 055 related rumours and information over the course of the three and a half or more years, to form fully rounded interpretations of this new vessel.

The purpose of this write up is to condense the consequences of the new 055 class into seven discrete points, effectively, for why the 055 class is a “big deal”. PLA watchers and general military enthusiasts alike, let’s get hype.



1: Size
We now have many satellite photos of the 055 class to be able to gain an accurate estimate of the 055’s physical dimensions, and this author’s estimates put the ship at a length of about 180 meters with a beam of about 20 meters.


A satellite image comparing a copied 052D alongside the first 055 at JNCX, note the significant difference in length
The Wuhan mock up has provided also us a very accurate gauge of what the physical top side configuration of the ship will likely look, providing indication of the ship’s large and integrated topside superstructure configuration.

For context, the Ticonderoga class cruiser has a length of 173 meters, a beam of 16.8 meters, and a full displacement of 9,600 tons, while the Flight IIA Burke class destroyer has a length of 155 meters, a beam of 20 meters and a full displacement of 9,200 tons. The Zumwalt class destroyer has a length of 180 meters, a beam of 24 meters and a full displacement in excess of 15,000 tons.

Therefore, the 055 is estimated to have a full displacement in excess of 12,000 tons, potentially approaching 13,000 tons. This corresponds with the statement of at least one Chinese military commentator that was published on an official PLA news outlet describing 055 as having a full displacement of 13,000 tons.

The size of the 055 cannot be understated. The next largest surface combatant the Chinese Navy has ever domestically produced is the 7,000 ton 052D with a length of 157 meters and a beam of 17 meters. Furthermore, the number of world navies which are currently building surface combatants significantly in excess of 10,000 tons or have concrete plans to build them in the near future can be counted on one hand, namely the US Navy, Zumwalt class; ROK Navy, Sejong class; Chinese Navy, 055 class. The Russian Navy with their Slava class and Kirov class cruisers also fit the bill, however those ships most definitely are not exactly recent or modern.

Needless to say, only a few navies in the world are fielding or are planning to field surface combatants of such an ambitious size. And size — as later points will show — does matter.



2: Armament
The 052D class was armed with 64 universal Chinese Navy Vertical Launch System cells. The 055 is expected to field 112 to 128, potentially up to double the number. Such an armament will make the 055 class one of the most well armed surface combatants in the world, not only because a 112-128 cell count is among the world’s largest, but also because the CN VLS cells are each 0.85 meters in diameter and up to 9 meters long, thus significantly larger than equivalent universal VLS cells of other navies whether it by the Mk-41, the Mk-57 or the SYLVER. When arranged in the cold launch mechanism to use the full cross section of a cell, the CN VLS has the potential to field a significantly wider missile than other equivalent VLS cells in the world.

Of course, it is important to note that many other ships have a large number of VLS too. The Ticonderoga class fields 122 VLS as well as 8 dedicated slant Harpoon AShM launchers, while the Sejong class fields 128 VLS with 16 dedicated slant AShM launchers making it arguably the most heavily armed universal VLS equipped surface combatant in the world. And that doesn’t count the mighty Kirov class battlecruisers undergoing refit to be equipped with a large number of modernized UKSK VLS and new SAM VLS.

But with a 112 or 128 VLS count for the 055 class, and fielding a universal VLS cell with a large cross sectional area, its hitting power will be indisputably among the top tiers of the world’s surface combatants.



3: Sensors and electronics
The 055 is expected to field the latest generation of the Chinese Navy’s sensors. Some of these sensors may be versions of existing systems, or variants of existing systems, or new systems altogether. The 055 is expected to field the same S band APAR as the 052D or perhaps a newer and more capable variant, as well as an X band APAR atop its integrated mast. A variety of passive sensors like a new ESM suite, EO/IR cameras, as well as datalinks are expected to round out the electronics suite. An aft volume search radar has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 055 as well, but this is still under some debate and will likely only be settled with clear photos of the real 055 ship itself.

Furthermore, the 055 is expected to field a substantially more modern and more capable command and control and battle management system, fulfilling its role as a command ship and as a “shield of the fleet” in a manner similar to leading air defence cruisers. Given the 055’s substantially larger size than the preceding 052D class, such a prospect is not only logical but almost expected.



4: Production pace
The first modules for the 055 were sighted at JNCX shipyard in early/mid 2016, corresponding with rumours in late 2014 that the first 055 had begun steel cutting. However, given the 055 was not only a wholly new warship design, but also the largest Chinese surface combatant ever developed by a large margin, it was thought that production of the 055 class would proceed in a slow, or at least cautious manner. Perhaps only one shipyard would build the 055 for a few years to start off with, and perhaps at a pace of only one per year.

What was not expected, was for two different shipyards to both produce 055s, and each to build two 055s concurrently. By October 2016, modules for the second 055 at JNCX were sighted. And by late November 2016, modules for two 055s were sighted and the latest photos going into 2017 confirmed that two 055s are being simultaneously assembled in the same drydock alongside one another.

In other words, four 055s were under various states of assembly and construction at the same time before the first 055 had even been launched, and all this in a new clean sheet design of a surface combatant whose full displacement was almost double that of the previous largest surface combatant that the Chinese Navy had ever domestically produced.

The pace of this construction for a new and large warship is a significant departure from the 2000s, where new warship designs were built in pairs or small numbers before embarking on larger production numbers, and even those warship classes tended to be derivatives of existing designs (such as 052B, 052C, 052D, or 054, 054A, or 051B, 051C). This pace of construction for the 055 likely reflects a much increased confidence of the Chinese Navy in their domestic industry’s capabilities, not only in terms of ship design and shipbuilding, but also in terms of their assessment of the 055’s ability to fulfill the Navy’s requirements and its overall competitiveness compared to other surface combatants in the world.


Two 055 hulls under assembly in the same drydock at Dalian shipyard likely taken some time in late April 2017


5: Numbers
The most powerful warship in the world will have little impact on a Navy’s overall combat capability if there are too few of them. The realities of naval maintenance and readiness means only a fraction (often said to be 1/3) of a fleet or a warship of a certain type are deployed at any one time. Therefore, if say only three warships of a certain class were built, then it means during any one time only one warship would be deployed. It does not matter if that warship is the most advanced or most capable warship of its generation, but if there are only a handful in service, it means only about one third of that handful will be deployed at any one time. (This may or may not be a cheeky reference to a certain uber-advanced super warship class that a certain powerful navy has recently commissioned, I shall let the reader judge for him or herself.)

For the 055, at time of writing in late June 2017, we can confirm that four 055s are definitely under construction. Concrete information for the Chinese Navy’s future procurement plans are of course impossible to come by, but some quite reliable sources in the past have suggested the “first batch” of 055s will be at least 8 in number. The natural implication of this of course, is that there will likely be subsequent batches of 055s in coming years, to follow the first batch of at least 8 ships. Considering the fast rate of production for the 055 class thus far, it would not be unexpected for the number of 055s to reach in the double digits by the mid 2020s. Whether that means 10+ or perhaps 20+ is a tenuous matter which naval analysts all around the world will likely nervously deliberate, but at this stage it is reasonable to judge that the final number of 055s will definitely be significantly greater than three ships.



6: Future Proofing
The 055 is a new clean sheet ship design and it is also a large design. Given the pattern of previous Chinese Navy surface combatant development, it is likely that the 055 will form the basis for future variants as well, likely with the hypothetical designations of 055A, 055B and so on.

The way in which the 055 may evolve is not certain, however the Chinese Navy’s robust R&D into integrated electric propulsion, rail guns and lasers is quite well known and they are likely pursuing future sensor technology that will be power hungry and space hungry as well. The reasonably large size of the 055 hull will therefore provide substantial room for future growth for new systems and new technologies, just as the original 052 hull evolved into the 052B, 052C, and 052D. The importance of future growth capacity that a hull can offer has been on full display in the US Navy, where concerns over space and power generation for the Flight III Burke have called into question its suitability for mounting a sufficiently powerful variant of its Air Missile Defence Radar that the USN originally sought, let alone whether such a ship would have the ability to eventually mount new power hungry weapons like rail guns and lasers.

Future variants of the 055 will likely not suffer such constraints in anywhere near the same degree given its large size and thus larger growth capacity. At this stage it would therefore not be unreasonable and in fact be logical to expect a future 055 variant to be equipped with IEPS, railguns, and/or lasers.


The original 052 hull evolved from this…

… to this…

…. to this…

… and finally to this… the evolution of the 052 variants provide a useful visual guide for how much the 055 hull may evolve in future variants.


7: Psychology
In many ways, this last reason is a sum of all of the previous six. Until the last few years, the very notion that the Chinese Navy may even have the potential to develop and induct a modern surface combatant with a full displacement in excess of 10,000 tons would have caused skepticism among more than a few defence commentators.

However as of 2017, it has become certain that not only is the Chinese Navy developing a modern, heavily armed, surface combatant whose full displacement is significantly in excess of 10,000 tons, but it is also producing this warship in a fast pace and this warship’s final production run will likely be in the double digits, while also forming the basis of future variants with more exotic power generation and weapons systems. Once the 055 class destroyers start entering service by the end of this decade and going into next decade, perceptions of the Chinese Navy’s capability will likely undergo a paradigm shift.

There are very few nations who are building or are expected to build modern surface combatants well in excess of 10,000 tons in any sort of significant number. In fact, at present, there is only one. Of course, the future is not guaranteed, and events may unfold which may cause the Chinese Navy to reduce the number of 055s they produce or change their naval doctrine.

But the prime role of large surface combatants in the public and media perception of a navy’s stature cannot be doubted, and while naval comparisons should never be bastardized to a comparison of size and number, the effect of the 055 class that is not only significantly larger than surface combatants of almost all global navies, and being produced in significant numbers, will elicit a psychological re-assessment of just what the Chinese Navy is and where it is headed.



Conclusion
There is only so much we can definitively claim with the information we have on the 055 class at present, however based on that information and the application of logic, it is enough to extrapolate a number of likely or virtually confirmed conclusions that have been listed above.

The 055 class will be launched in the coming week or even within a few days of this being written. Progressively clearer photos taken from the ground will emerge in subsequent hours, days and weeks in a strip-tease-esque manner that experienced PLA watchers have learnt to endure, and if we are lucky we may even receive prompt clear satellite photos of the first 055 as well to settle certain matters around its configuration.

Here’s to waiting.

http://plarealtalk.com/2017/06/26/t...nched-heres-seven-reasons-why-its-a-big-deal/

Thanks for the article, bro @Dungeness
Really informative for all of us about Significant value of 12,800 Tonnes Type 055 Heavy Destroyer (Cruiser).

@antonius123 @yantong1980 @Makarena

 

[Beast]

Finally ,PLAN has build a major combatant warship that exceed peer in modern era.

 

[Shotgunner51]

JNCX shipyard.

It's an honour for Shanghai to launch the first 055, congrats!
一记斗就册来伊刚，赫宁！

 

[GS Zhou]

It's an honour for Shanghai to launch the first 055, congrats!
一记斗就册来伊刚，赫宁！

that's indeed a glory moment for Shanghai!
阿拉上海宁就是嘎老吕!

my next wish is that JNCX could win the honor to build China's first nuclear aircraft carrier!

 

[Jinn Baba]

What missiles does it carry? How does it compare to Aegis and Type 45 destroyers?

 

[xuxu1457]

What missiles does it carry? How does it compare to Aegis and Type 45 destroyers?

This is 052D, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_052D_destroyer, and 055 is the next generation after 052D
For 052D:
Armament:

• 1 × H/PJ-38 130mm dual purpose gun
• 64 VLS
• • CY-5 series ASW missiles
  • CJ-10 LACM
  • YJ-18 or YJ-83 anti-ship missiles
  • HHQ-9 series long range SAM
  • HQ-16 medium range SAM
  • DK-10A (possibly quad-packed) medium range SAM
• 2 × 30 mm remote controlled gun
• 1 × H/PJ-12 CIWS or Type 1130 CIWS
• 1 × HHQ-10 short range SAM in 24-cell launcher
• 6 torpedo tubes
• 4 × 18-tube decoy rocket launcher

 

[Daniel808]

What missiles does it carry? How does it compare to Aegis and Type 45 destroyers?

You can read this article.

The first 055 is about to be launched: here’s seven reasons why it’s a big deal

It’s time
Three years of patience and drip-feeding of information is about to be rewarded, with the launch of the first 055 class destroyer from Jiangnan Changxing shipyard expected to occur within days, with ceremonial signal flags raised and hull painted.


SOON


This site has written quite extensively about the 055 class destroyer, and what to expect from it.

However the launch of the first 055 will likely spark a flurry of media activity from all stripes of bloggers, defence media, and even mainstream news media outlets. Many of these outlets and sites will try to decipher and consider what the consequences of the 055 class destroyer will be. However, few of those outlets will likely have had continuous PLA following experience, and even fewer are likely to have had the step by step analysis of the trickle of 055 related rumours and information over the course of the three and a half or more years, to form fully rounded interpretations of this new vessel.

The purpose of this write up is to condense the consequences of the new 055 class into seven discrete points, effectively, for why the 055 class is a “big deal”. PLA watchers and general military enthusiasts alike, let’s get hype.



1: Size
We now have many satellite photos of the 055 class to be able to gain an accurate estimate of the 055’s physical dimensions, and this author’s estimates put the ship at a length of about 180 meters with a beam of about 20 meters.


A satellite image comparing a copied 052D alongside the first 055 at JNCX, note the significant difference in length
The Wuhan mock up has provided also us a very accurate gauge of what the physical top side configuration of the ship will likely look, providing indication of the ship’s large and integrated topside superstructure configuration.

For context, the Ticonderoga class cruiser has a length of 173 meters, a beam of 16.8 meters, and a full displacement of 9,600 tons, while the Flight IIA Burke class destroyer has a length of 155 meters, a beam of 20 meters and a full displacement of 9,200 tons. The Zumwalt class destroyer has a length of 180 meters, a beam of 24 meters and a full displacement in excess of 15,000 tons.

Therefore, the 055 is estimated to have a full displacement in excess of 12,000 tons, potentially approaching 13,000 tons. This corresponds with the statement of at least one Chinese military commentator that was published on an official PLA news outlet describing 055 as having a full displacement of 13,000 tons.

The size of the 055 cannot be understated. The next largest surface combatant the Chinese Navy has ever domestically produced is the 7,000 ton 052D with a length of 157 meters and a beam of 17 meters. Furthermore, the number of world navies which are currently building surface combatants significantly in excess of 10,000 tons or have concrete plans to build them in the near future can be counted on one hand, namely the US Navy, Zumwalt class; ROK Navy, Sejong class; Chinese Navy, 055 class. The Russian Navy with their Slava class and Kirov class cruisers also fit the bill, however those ships most definitely are not exactly recent or modern.

Needless to say, only a few navies in the world are fielding or are planning to field surface combatants of such an ambitious size. And size — as later points will show — does matter.



2: Armament
The 052D class was armed with 64 universal Chinese Navy Vertical Launch System cells. The 055 is expected to field 112 to 128, potentially up to double the number. Such an armament will make the 055 class one of the most well armed surface combatants in the world, not only because a 112-128 cell count is among the world’s largest, but also because the CN VLS cells are each 0.85 meters in diameter and up to 9 meters long, thus significantly larger than equivalent universal VLS cells of other navies whether it by the Mk-41, the Mk-57 or the SYLVER. When arranged in the cold launch mechanism to use the full cross section of a cell, the CN VLS has the potential to field a significantly wider missile than other equivalent VLS cells in the world.

Of course, it is important to note that many other ships have a large number of VLS too. The Ticonderoga class fields 122 VLS as well as 8 dedicated slant Harpoon AShM launchers, while the Sejong class fields 128 VLS with 16 dedicated slant AShM launchers making it arguably the most heavily armed universal VLS equipped surface combatant in the world. And that doesn’t count the mighty Kirov class battlecruisers undergoing refit to be equipped with a large number of modernized UKSK VLS and new SAM VLS.

But with a 112 or 128 VLS count for the 055 class, and fielding a universal VLS cell with a large cross sectional area, its hitting power will be indisputably among the top tiers of the world’s surface combatants.



3: Sensors and electronics
The 055 is expected to field the latest generation of the Chinese Navy’s sensors. Some of these sensors may be versions of existing systems, or variants of existing systems, or new systems altogether. The 055 is expected to field the same S band APAR as the 052D or perhaps a newer and more capable variant, as well as an X band APAR atop its integrated mast. A variety of passive sensors like a new ESM suite, EO/IR cameras, as well as datalinks are expected to round out the electronics suite. An aft volume search radar has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 055 as well, but this is still under some debate and will likely only be settled with clear photos of the real 055 ship itself.

Furthermore, the 055 is expected to field a substantially more modern and more capable command and control and battle management system, fulfilling its role as a command ship and as a “shield of the fleet” in a manner similar to leading air defence cruisers. Given the 055’s substantially larger size than the preceding 052D class, such a prospect is not only logical but almost expected.



4: Production pace
The first modules for the 055 were sighted at JNCX shipyard in early/mid 2016, corresponding with rumours in late 2014 that the first 055 had begun steel cutting. However, given the 055 was not only a wholly new warship design, but also the largest Chinese surface combatant ever developed by a large margin, it was thought that production of the 055 class would proceed in a slow, or at least cautious manner. Perhaps only one shipyard would build the 055 for a few years to start off with, and perhaps at a pace of only one per year.

What was not expected, was for two different shipyards to both produce 055s, and each to build two 055s concurrently. By October 2016, modules for the second 055 at JNCX were sighted. And by late November 2016, modules for two 055s were sighted and the latest photos going into 2017 confirmed that two 055s are being simultaneously assembled in the same drydock alongside one another.

In other words, four 055s were under various states of assembly and construction at the same time before the first 055 had even been launched, and all this in a new clean sheet design of a surface combatant whose full displacement was almost double that of the previous largest surface combatant that the Chinese Navy had ever domestically produced.

The pace of this construction for a new and large warship is a significant departure from the 2000s, where new warship designs were built in pairs or small numbers before embarking on larger production numbers, and even those warship classes tended to be derivatives of existing designs (such as 052B, 052C, 052D, or 054, 054A, or 051B, 051C). This pace of construction for the 055 likely reflects a much increased confidence of the Chinese Navy in their domestic industry’s capabilities, not only in terms of ship design and shipbuilding, but also in terms of their assessment of the 055’s ability to fulfill the Navy’s requirements and its overall competitiveness compared to other surface combatants in the world.


Two 055 hulls under assembly in the same drydock at Dalian shipyard likely taken some time in late April 2017


5: Numbers
The most powerful warship in the world will have little impact on a Navy’s overall combat capability if there are too few of them. The realities of naval maintenance and readiness means only a fraction (often said to be 1/3) of a fleet or a warship of a certain type are deployed at any one time. Therefore, if say only three warships of a certain class were built, then it means during any one time only one warship would be deployed. It does not matter if that warship is the most advanced or most capable warship of its generation, but if there are only a handful in service, it means only about one third of that handful will be deployed at any one time. (This may or may not be a cheeky reference to a certain uber-advanced super warship class that a certain powerful navy has recently commissioned, I shall let the reader judge for him or herself.)

For the 055, at time of writing in late June 2017, we can confirm that four 055s are definitely under construction. Concrete information for the Chinese Navy’s future procurement plans are of course impossible to come by, but some quite reliable sources in the past have suggested the “first batch” of 055s will be at least 8 in number. The natural implication of this of course, is that there will likely be subsequent batches of 055s in coming years, to follow the first batch of at least 8 ships. Considering the fast rate of production for the 055 class thus far, it would not be unexpected for the number of 055s to reach in the double digits by the mid 2020s. Whether that means 10+ or perhaps 20+ is a tenuous matter which naval analysts all around the world will likely nervously deliberate, but at this stage it is reasonable to judge that the final number of 055s will definitely be significantly greater than three ships.



6: Future Proofing
The 055 is a new clean sheet ship design and it is also a large design. Given the pattern of previous Chinese Navy surface combatant development, it is likely that the 055 will form the basis for future variants as well, likely with the hypothetical designations of 055A, 055B and so on.

The way in which the 055 may evolve is not certain, however the Chinese Navy’s robust R&D into integrated electric propulsion, rail guns and lasers is quite well known and they are likely pursuing future sensor technology that will be power hungry and space hungry as well. The reasonably large size of the 055 hull will therefore provide substantial room for future growth for new systems and new technologies, just as the original 052 hull evolved into the 052B, 052C, and 052D. The importance of future growth capacity that a hull can offer has been on full display in the US Navy, where concerns over space and power generation for the Flight III Burke have called into question its suitability for mounting a sufficiently powerful variant of its Air Missile Defence Radar that the USN originally sought, let alone whether such a ship would have the ability to eventually mount new power hungry weapons like rail guns and lasers.

Future variants of the 055 will likely not suffer such constraints in anywhere near the same degree given its large size and thus larger growth capacity. At this stage it would therefore not be unreasonable and in fact be logical to expect a future 055 variant to be equipped with IEPS, railguns, and/or lasers.


The original 052 hull evolved from this…

… to this…

…. to this…

… and finally to this… the evolution of the 052 variants provide a useful visual guide for how much the 055 hull may evolve in future variants.


7: Psychology
In many ways, this last reason is a sum of all of the previous six. Until the last few years, the very notion that the Chinese Navy may even have the potential to develop and induct a modern surface combatant with a full displacement in excess of 10,000 tons would have caused skepticism among more than a few defence commentators.

However as of 2017, it has become certain that not only is the Chinese Navy developing a modern, heavily armed, surface combatant whose full displacement is significantly in excess of 10,000 tons, but it is also producing this warship in a fast pace and this warship’s final production run will likely be in the double digits, while also forming the basis of future variants with more exotic power generation and weapons systems. Once the 055 class destroyers start entering service by the end of this decade and going into next decade, perceptions of the Chinese Navy’s capability will likely undergo a paradigm shift.

There are very few nations who are building or are expected to build modern surface combatants well in excess of 10,000 tons in any sort of significant number. In fact, at present, there is only one. Of course, the future is not guaranteed, and events may unfold which may cause the Chinese Navy to reduce the number of 055s they produce or change their naval doctrine.

But the prime role of large surface combatants in the public and media perception of a navy’s stature cannot be doubted, and while naval comparisons should never be bastardized to a comparison of size and number, the effect of the 055 class that is not only significantly larger than surface combatants of almost all global navies, and being produced in significant numbers, will elicit a psychological re-assessment of just what the Chinese Navy is and where it is headed.



Conclusion
There is only so much we can definitively claim with the information we have on the 055 class at present, however based on that information and the application of logic, it is enough to extrapolate a number of likely or virtually confirmed conclusions that have been listed above.

The 055 class will be launched in the coming week or even within a few days of this being written. Progressively clearer photos taken from the ground will emerge in subsequent hours, days and weeks in a strip-tease-esque manner that experienced PLA watchers have learnt to endure, and if we are lucky we may even receive prompt clear satellite photos of the first 055 as well to settle certain matters around its configuration.

Here’s to waiting.

http://plarealtalk.com/2017/06/26/t...nched-heres-seven-reasons-why-its-a-big-deal/

 

[grey boy 2]

What missiles does it carry? How does it compare to Aegis and Type 45 destroyers?

Here a little specification bro,

 

[xuxu1457]

’

 

[Beast]

Here a little specification bro,

I still remember some hanjian in Chinese forum claim the Type 055 will carry only 78 VLS.
There is no reason why PLAN building such big ship end up carry only missile less than AB destroyer.

 

[Jinn Baba]

This is 052D, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_052D_destroyer, and 055 is the next generation after 052D
For 052D:
Armament:

• 1 × H/PJ-38 130mm dual purpose gun
• 64 VLS
• • CY-5 series ASW missiles
  • CJ-10 LACM
  • YJ-18 or YJ-83 anti-ship missiles
  • HHQ-9 series long range SAM
  • HQ-16 medium range SAM
  • DK-10A (possibly quad-packed) medium range SAM
• 2 × 30 mm remote controlled gun
• 1 × H/PJ-12 CIWS or Type 1130 CIWS
• 1 × HHQ-10 short range SAM in 24-cell launcher
• 6 torpedo tubes
• 4 × 18-tube decoy rocket launcher

You can read this article.

Here a little specification bro,

Thanks guys. I did look on wiki but but there wasn't much information there.

 

[terranMarine]

The launching of this breathtaking beast coincides with the coming up 20 yrs anniversary of HK's return makes it even sweeter. The much anticipated star stealing the limelight of this year definitely goes to this state of the art monster.
Arise mighty beast

 

[Cybernetics]

Here a little specification bro,

113MW total power is pretty insane (a bit unbelievable), now I'm curious what engine(s) is powering this ship. If true this pretty much confirms that the 055 is using integrated electric propulsion. The ship doesn't require that much power for propulsion and conventional systems considering the heavier (15,000t) Zumwalt produces 78MW and has a similar top speed (33.5 knots). The Zumwalt also produces 58 MW of reserve power while moving at 20 knots, meaning the ship requires 20 MW to move at 20 knots. The BAE 32 MJ rail gun requires 25 MW of power to sustain fire at 10 rounds per minute thus giving DDG 1000 the ability to accommodate 2 rail guns but the Zumwalt cannot sustain fire of even one rail gun @10 rounds/min or other energy weapons when travelling at full speed, there isn't enough power to be distributed.

http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/u-s-may-field-railgun-on-zumwalt-destroyer/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun

Zumwalt DDG1000

• 2 × Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines (35.4 MW ea.) driving Curtiss-Wrightelectric generators
• 2 × Rolls-Royce RR4500 turbine generators (3.8 MW ea.)
• 2 × propellers driven by electric motors
• Total: 78 MW (105,000 shp)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_electric_propulsion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zumwalt

If we assume 055 requires similar power as Zumwalt to cruise at 20 knots (20MW) then it will have >90MW in reserve power @20 knots. Where is all that energy going to? If the power figure for 055 is accurate then it is most definitely designed to field rail guns and direct energy weapons and other energy thirsty platforms. If not 055 then its successor variants will. The 055 doesn't look to have space for more than one large rail gun. This could mean a combination of things.

• One powerful rail gun (>32 MJ @ 10rounds/min sustained fire)

or

• One fast firing rail gun (32 MJ @ >10 rounds/min sustained fire)

or

• One fast and powerful rail gun (>32 MJ @ >10 rounds/min sustained fire)

and

• More powerful radars, electronic weapons, lasers, small rail gun systems for anti air

In fact if power requirements scale linearly (using BAE rail gun efficiency) for rail guns then the 055 could field a >100 MJ rail gun firing at 10 rounds/min.