China’s most advanced destroyer the Nanchang formally enters service in ‘leap forward’ for navy
- Ship is the first Type 055 guided missile destroyer to be commissioned into the PLA Navy and is one of the most advanced warships of its type in the world
- The next-generation warships will play a key role in aircraft carrier groups in future
China officially commissioned its first Type 055 guided missile destroyer, the Nanchang, on Sunday in what it hailed as a “leap forward” for its naval modernisation programme.
A grand ceremony was held in Qingdao, a major naval base in the eastern province of Shandong, on Sunday morning, state news agency Xinhua reported.
The Nanchang was launched in June 2017 and made its public debut in a naval parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy in April last year.
However, military sources said that its outfitting had not been completed at the time of the parade.
“Nanchang made an appearance at the parade as part of the celebration but much of its equipment – including radars, communications and weapons systems and other works – had not actually been finished,” one PLA insider said.
Another military source said the Nanchang, which has a displacement of 12,000 tonnes, had been undergoing sea trials and weapon systems tests in the past eight months.