Type 055 Escort: World’s Top Destroyer Joins Chinese Carrier Strike Group For First Time

China has deployed a Type 055 Class destroyer to accompany one of its aircraft carrier strike groups for the first time - a development anticipated for over half a decade since the development of the class of surface combat ships was confirmed. The People’s Liberation Army Navy currently fields two destroyers of the class, with six more having been launched but having yet to be delivered. At 13,000 tons each, they are among the heaviest destroyers in the world rivalled in size only by the American Zumwalt Class and South Korean Sejong the Great Class. The carrier group built around the aircraft carrier Liaoning, which entered service in September 2012 and is the oldest of five carrier warships in Chinese service. The strike group passed through the waterway between Okinawa and Miyako Island and heading towards the Pacific on April 3rd, which was was confirmed by the defence ministry on the 5th. It was subsequently announced that naval exercises in the area will be frequent in future, which sends a strong signal to the United States and to Taiwan in particular with the latter seen as being at risk of potentially seeking to declare a formal independence from the Chinese mainland. 

The Liaoning is based on the Soviet Kuznetsov Class carrier design, but deploys superior sensors, propulsion systems, armaments and fighters and does not deploy cruise missiles in order to accommodate more aircraft. Its J-15 carrier based fighter is one of the heaviest in the world, but is notably restricted by the Liaoning’s lack of a catapult launch system which limits its weapons payload and fuel load. Two upcoming much larger carriers that are under construction will be able to deploy such launch systems, however, and are expected to far surpass the Liaoning in performance. While the Liaoning is not considered to be among the world’s most capable carriers, the Type 055 is widely considered the world’s most powerful surface combatant. It is prized for its powerful sensor suite including a dual band radar, its advanced stealth characteristics, and its large payload of 112 vertical launch cells. It is capable of performing air defence duties with four classes of surface to air missile, and can also deploy a range of cruise and anti submarine missiles to strike enemy ground targets and ships.