INDO-PACIFIC Commissions New Type 055 into Service OE Watch Commentary: On 12 January, China commissioned its largest destroyer, the Nanchang [南昌], Pennant Number 101 into service at Qingdao. The name is a deliberate reference to the two ships named Nanchang, one of which served during the Chinese Civil War, and another which was one of China’s earliest guided- , entering service in 1982 and retiring in 2016. While the Type 055 (NATO: Renhai class) is sometimes referred to as a by Western media due to its tonnage, Chinese sources refer to the class as destroyers, though at 10,000 tons it vastly outclasses China’s next largest destroyer family, the Type . 052D, at 7,500 tons. Built at the Jiangnan in Source: 星海军事 via Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Type_055_destroyer.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0 and launched in June 2017, this is the first of at least six Type 055s to be commissioned. Three additional destroyers were launched in 2018 and another two in 2019, which are in the process of being fitted out. As the first of its class, the Nanchang will serve as a testbed for the technologies and setting standard operating procedures. The Nanchang was also the lead ship during the 70th Anniversary Parade for PLA Navy in April 2019. Captain [上校] Zhou Minghui [周明辉] commands the Nanchang; Senior Captain [大校] Chen Weigong [陈维工] serves as commissar. Captain Zhou previously commanded the Xining (No. 117), a Type 052D destroyer under the . In an interview with state television, Captain Zhou noted that the Type 055 had significantly improved capabilities compared to the Type 052D, not only in terms of more VLS cells but also because of its four phased array radars and other sensors. The destroyer is 180m long and 20m wide. It has two groups of Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells, with 64 forward and 48 amidships for a total of 112. The VLS cells can launch surface-to-air , anti-ship missiles, land-attack cruise missiles, and anti- missiles. While previous generations of Chinese destroyers adopted a Russian/Soviet-derived revolver VLS system, modern updates of the Type 052(D) and Type 055 have adopted a grid arrangement. Phased array radars are placed on four sides on the hexagonal central structure. The front aspect of the destroyer is guarded by a seven-barreled 30mm Close-in Weapon System (CIWS), with the rear covered by a Rolling Air-Frame-like box launcher for aircraft and possibly cruise missiles. Publicized figures for the export FL-3000N version indicate a dual and microwave homing and range of just under 1km. Commissioning the Type 055 into service is just one part of the PLAN’s rapid growth. In 2019, 28 new ships were launched, including 8 Type 052D destroyers, 1 Type 071 LPD, 1 Type 075 LHD (see: “New Class of Amphibious Assault Ship Will Expand PLA Navy Operational Capability,” OE Watch, June 2019), two Type 055 destroyers and 16 Type 056A . End OE Watch Commentary (Wood)

“The commission of Nanchang marks the Navy’s leap from the third generation to the fourth generation of destroyers, according to the statement.”

Source: “China’s first Type 055 destroyer Nanchang commissioned,”Xinhua , 12 January 2020. http://www.china.org.cn/china/2020-01/12/ content_75604742.htm

The Nanchang, China’s first Type 055 guided-missile destroyer, was commissioned in the People’s Liberation Army Navy on Sunday morning in the port city of Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. The 10,000 ton-class destroyer officially debuted at the multinational naval parade in celebration of the Chinese navy’s 70th founding anniversary on April 23, 2019. Launched on June 28, 2017, the destroyer was equipped with new air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship, and anti-submarine weapons, said a statement from the Navy. The commission of Nanchang marks the Navy’s leap from the third generation to the fourth generation of destroyers, according to the statement.

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