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Chinese Type 055 destroyer joins aircraft carrier group for first time
- Stealth-guided missile destroyer Nanchang joins Liaoning aircraft carrier group in sea trial
- It could boost the aircraft carrier group’s combat capabilities, analysts say
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China has sent a Type 055 destroyer to accompany its aircraft carrier group for the first time during a sea trial over the weekend, a move analysts have said could lead to a significant boost to the strike group’s lethality.
According to media reports, the Nanchang, a Type 055 Renhai class stealth-guided missile destroyer, has joined the Liaoning aircraft carrier group, which was spotted passing the waterway between Okinawa and Miyako Island and heading towards the Pacific on Saturday morning.
The movement of China’s aircraft carrier strike group has prompted Japan to send destroyer and maritime patrol aircraft to gather information and monitor the movements, while the United States also sent aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt into the disputed South China Sea.
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The Chinese movement was confirmed by the defence ministry, which issued a statement late on Monday saying a Chinese aircraft carrier group was exercising near Taiwan and such drills would become regular.
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While the aircraft carrier itself was eye-catching in asserting China’s stance amid renewed regional tensions, the first mission of Type 055 destroyer Nanchang accompanying the Liaoning aircraft carrier was equally noticeable.
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