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In late March 2026, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy\u00a0sent two new Type 055 class destroyers, the Anging and Dongguan, to their first combat training exercises,\u00a0putting 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\u00a0reconnaissance and onboard weapons,\u00a0although\u00a0many specific technical details have not been publicly shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What we do know is that this class of destroyer includes some of\u00a0China’s most powerful warships<\/a>.\u00a0At 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\u00a0have dual-band radar systems that allow these destroyers to track hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Naval Institute,<\/a> the Anging and Dongguan could be the first of this new batch of Type 055 class destroyers, with more on the way.\u00a0Chinese Military Affairs Expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times<\/a> that any future editions would be even more advanced, with these\u00a0new destroyers still being “insufficient”\u00a0for all of China’s far-seas defense operations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Zumwalt-class destroyers<\/a> and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Military Watch Magazine<\/a>. However,\u00a0that title somewhat depends on what specs you are looking at. Anging and Dongguan have over 100 launchers, whereas\u00a0the Zumwalt has a total of 80 cells. Meanwhile\u00a0Ticonderoga-class cruisers have 112.\u00a0<\/p>\n In terms of stealth, the U.S. Navy previously attempted \u2014 but failed \u2014 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
How the U.S. Navy’s vessels compare to China’s destroyers<\/h2>\n
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