In late March 2026, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy sent two new Type 055 class destroyers, the Anging and Dongguan, to their first combat training exercises, putting China’s fleet at 10 total Type 055 class destroyers. The Anging and Dongguan feature a lot of improvements over the previous batch of ships in regards to reconnaissance and onboard weapons, although many specific technical details have not been publicly shared.
What we do know is that this class of destroyer includes some of China’s most powerful warships. At 10,000 tons each, they are some of the largest and most heavily armored vessels in the world. Designed with anti-submarine warfare in mind, they can carry up to 112 vertical launching systems for improved air defense. They are also capable of implementing a hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile called the YJ-20. Not only is it full of a wide range of missile types, but these destroyers also have dual-band radar systems that allow these destroyers to track hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously.
According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the Anging and Dongguan could be the first of this new batch of Type 055 class destroyers, with more on the way. Chinese Military Affairs Expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that any future editions would be even more advanced, with these new destroyers still being “insufficient” for all of China’s far-seas defense operations.
How the U.S. Navy’s vessels compare to China’s destroyers
Previously, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy only used its Type 055 destroyers in its northern and southern fleets, but the Anging and Dongguan are the first to be assigned to the East Sea Fleet facing Japanese and U.S. forces in the East China Sea. There is some debate over whether the Anging and Dongguan are actually classified as destroyers, but nevertheless these ships are comparable to the U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
Designed to launch missiles against aircraft, ships, land targets, and submarines, China’s two new vessels were touted the “world’s two most powerful destroyers” by Military Watch Magazine. However, that title somewhat depends on what specs you are looking at. Anging and Dongguan have over 100 launchers, whereas the Zumwalt has a total of 80 cells. Meanwhile Ticonderoga-class cruisers have 112.
In terms of stealth, the U.S. Navy previously attempted — but failed — to integrate a dual-band radar system that was very similar to what was installed on China’s Anging and Dongguan ships. Instead, the Zumwalts were designed with a tumblehome hull and composite deckhouse that, paired with other technology, makes them appear no larger than a fishing boat on radar. Still, the Zumwalt-class destroyers mainly focus on land-based targets closer to shore, which makes any sort of advanced stealth design a bit useless. Overall, the U.S. Navy’s plan for its new fleet of Zumwalt-class destroyers was riddled with missteps, and the program was ultimately cut from 32 to just three ships.
