Take a look at China's fleet of destroyers, including the Type 055, which cost $920 million to build

Publish date: 2024-07-19
2022-09-27T05:45:42Z

China has the world's largest navy, with more than 355 vessels in its fleet, according to a 2021 report by the United States Naval Institute.

Officers and soldiers of the Chinese naval fleet for escort mission line up on the deck at a port in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 28, 2020. Jiang Shan/Xinhua/Getty Images

The US, China's primary rival, has the second-largest navy in the world, with 296 ships, per a 2022 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Though it is smaller than China's People's Liberation Army Navy, the US Navy is still widely considered the most powerful in the world today given its presence, partnerships, experience, and technology. 

China, though, is determined to build a world-class military able to fight and win wars. While China already has the lead in terms of navy size, it continues to expand its naval force. The Congressional Research Service predicts that the country's fleet will grow to as many as 400 vessels by 2025 and 425 by 2030. And it is also investing heavily in improved combat capabilities for its ships.

China has been strengthening its navy over the past decade to bolster its military presence around Taiwan, according to a March report by The Japan Times. The report stated that "increasing capabilities of Chinese warships" like destroyers is crucial to the country's military plans.

China relies on its growing navy to enforce its will and advance its national interests in the East China Sea, South China Sea, parts of the Western Pacific, and potentially farther as its force grows and improves.

The Chinese navy's growing fleet of destroyers is comprised of 41 active ships, which belong to eight classes, according to a 2022 estimate by military data site Global Firepower.

In addition to China's newest class, the Type 055, there are six other locally made active destroyer classes: Type 052A, Type 051B, Type 051C, Type 052B, Type 052C, and Type 052D(L), per a 2018 report by CRS. Only one class, the Type 956E(M), is foreign-made.

Keep reading for a look at all eight of China's destroyer classes. The classes are ranked according to when they were commissioned, from the most recent to the oldest.

1. Type 055 (Renhai)

Chinese Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang takes part in Joint Sea-2021, China and Russia's first joint naval patrol, in the Western Pacific on October 19, 2021. Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images

The Type 055 is the Chinese navy's newest class of destroyer. Due to its long-range firepower, it has been described as "the world's most potent warship." There are currently six of these ships in service. The Chinese navy has said there are plans to expand the class to a fleet of 16 ships.

Some experts consider the Type 055 the world's second-most powerful surface combatant after the US Navy's Zumwalt-class destroyers, per a 2020 report by the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College,

One of the Type 055's most notable features is its vertical launching system. The Type 055 has a total cell count of 112, with each cell measuring 0.85 meters, or around 2.8 feet, reported The Diplomat.

The destroyers are also fitted with electronic warfare countermeasures systems that include EW jammers and Type 762-4 decoy launchers, per the military site Naval Technology.

Nanchang (hull number 101), which was launched in June 2017 and commissioned in January 2020, was the first ship in the class. There are five more in active service: Lhasa (102), Anshan (104), Wuxi (107), Dalian (105), and Yan'an (106), per the geopolitical publication SpecialEurasia.

Each ship cost 6 billion Chinese yuan, or $920 million to build, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post. The Zumwalt-class destroyers, in comparison to the Type 055, cost $7 billion to construct, per Foreign Policy.

2. Type 052D(L) (Luyang III)

The Type 052D guided missile destroyer Guiyang participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province on April 23, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

There are two variants within the Type 052 class: Type 052D and Type 052DL. The flight deck of the latter is 13 feet longer to accommodate for the Harbin Z-20 helicopter, per the defence agency Janes.

Over two dozen ships belong to the class across the two variants, per the military news site Naval News. Kunming (hull number 172), commissioned in March 2014, was the first active ship in the class, according to China Daily.

The ships are active under several commands, including the South Sea, North Sea, and East Sea fleets, per the official site of China's Ministry of National Defence.

The ships have a Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) system, which means they have long-range air-defense and modern anti-ship missile capabilities, per the US Naval Institute.

3. Type 051C (Louzhou)

The Shijiazhuang (DDG-116), a type 051C missile destroyer arrives in the Russian port city of Vladivostok located near the North Korean border on September 18, 2017. Contributor/STR/AFP/Getty Images

There are only two ships in the Type 051C class: Shenyang (hull number 115) and Shijiazhuang (116), per Naval Technology. Shenyang, the lead ship in this class, was launched in December 2004 and commissioned in October 2006, per the news site.

The Type 051C was the first class to be outfitted with the Russian 30N6E1 engagement radar, which is similar to the US Navy's AN/SPY-1 radar system, according to a 2020 paper by Sarah Kirchberger, an assistant professor at the University of Hamburg.

4. Type 052C (Luyang II)

Type 052C destroyer Jinan enters Hong Kong waters from southern Hong Kong. Felix Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images

The Chinese navy has six Type 052C ships, per a 2020 paper by the US Naval War College. The introduction of this class into the navy's fleet marked the start of China's modernization of its surface combatants, according to the paper.

Lanzhou (hull number 170) was commissioned in July 2004 and was the first ship in the class, according to the 2009 warship reference book Jane's Fighting Ships. It was also the first Chinese warship with air-defense capability, per a 2017 report by the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College.

5. Type 052B (Luyang I)

Chinese destroyer DDG-169 Wuhan is pictured from French Frigate Le Floreal on January 7, 2009. Stephane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images

There are two ships in the Type 052B class: Guangzhou (hull number 168) and Wuhan (169), per a 2008 CRS report. Guangzhou was launched in May 2002 and commissioned in July 2004, according to the military website Global Security.

The development of the class represented major innovation in the Chinese navy with the adoption of features like "smooth and angled surfaces," which resembled the most advanced European destroyers, per the military website.

The Type 052B was the first locally built class to demonstrate air defense capabilities, per  Naval Technology. It is also equipped with anti-surface and anti-submarine features, the news site reported.

6. Type 051B (Luhai)

Shenzhen (DDG-167), Type 051B Luhai-class destroyer, in Tokyo, Japan on November 2007. viper-zero/iStock/Getty Images

Only one ship — Shenzhen (hull number 167) — belongs to the Type 051B class, The Diplomat reported, citing a defense report.

Shenzhen was commissioned in 1999, per state-run China Daily. The ship is tasked with "near-seas active defense," which is China's naval strategy for protecting its surrounding waters, per the 2011 book "The Chinese Navy: Expanding Capabilities, Evolving Roles."

According to China Daily, the ship underwent upgrades in 2017 to improve its combat capability. China's navy also refitted the ship's weapons and electronics systems in 2014 as China modernized its older fleet.

7. Type 052A (Luhu)

China's guided missile destroyer Harbin is escorted into Hong Kong, early 30 April 2004, part of a Task Force visiting the territory. Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

There are two ships in this class: Harbin (hull number 112) and Qingdao (113), per a 2014 book written by Dennis Gormly, Andrew Erickson, and Jingdong Yuan, experts on China's military.

Harbin was launched in August 1991 and commissioned in May 1994, according to the navy database site Sea Forces.

The class consists of the first domestically made modern multirole surface combatants equipped with "comprehensive surface strike" and air defense capabilities, according to the authors of the 2014 book. The ships are fitted with "a significant suite of Western-designed weapons systems and sensors."

8. Type 956E(M) (Sovremenny)

A Sovremenny ship in 1989, before refitting and modifications made by the Chinese navy. Contributor/Corbis Historical/Getty Imnages

The Type 956 is the only active class that is foreign built. The Russian-made ships are comparable in size to the US Navy's Aegis-equipped missile cruisers, per Naval Technology.

The Chinese navy has four of these ships, two of which were modified to suit the navy's standards, per the military news site. The first ship was delivered to the Chinese navy in December 1999.

The modified ships were purchased for over $1 billion in 2002, according to the military news outlet Jane's Defence Weekly.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyktMinmGamkavGbrDErKurp6mav7R5z6GmraejYrOtscStZKWho6l6c3yRa2Ry