Liberation Army (PLA) Navy latest 10,000 ton-class guided missile destroyer, the Type 055, is capable of launching long-range land-attack cruise missiles that more precise attacks against land targets at greater range. The Type 055 destroyer is a class of guided missile destroyers with anti-submarine warfare capabilities surpassing previous Chinese surface combatants. China displayed its first Type 055 destroyer, the Nanchang, in April at the fleet review of the PLA Navy’s 70th anniversary celebration in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province.
As China’s first type of 10,000 ton-class destroyer, the Type 055 has 112 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles land-attack missiles and anti-submarine missiles. The United States Navy defines a cruiser as a large multi-mission surface combatant with flag facilities this suggests the U.S. expects the Type 055 to fulfil a similar role as the Ticonderoga-class cruiser. The NATO classifies these ships as Renhai-class cruiser
The Navy’s post did not elaborate on the designation or specifications of the long-range land-attack cruise missile. Long-range land-attack cruise missiles will allow destroyers to launch more powerful precision strikes on land targets compared to main guns, which have a lower range and are less accurate, the expert said. The primary armament are missiles carried in 112 universal vertical launch cells (VLS); 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 makes it possible to carry future anti-ballistic missiles (ABM).
