Type-055 Destroyer may be armed with an electromagnetic gun and laser weapon

Image of Type 055 destroyer

The appearance of a picture of the ceremony on the commencement of the construction of Type 055 destroyer last December has attracted lots of speculation among foreign media. A US media says that China’s Type 055 missile destroyer can be a rival to or even surpass US Aegis destroyer.
It is said that the destroyer has a displacement of 12,000 tons, second only to DDG-1000 that the US is building.
According to US media, 055 destroyer carries 128 anti-ship and surface-to-ground cruise missiles and air defense missiles and may even be armed with an electromagnetic gun and laser weapon. Such a large warship is in fact a cruiser rather than a destroyer.
In the US, a cruiser is the major defense warship of an aircraft carrier battle group. In Soviet Union which has no aircraft carrier, a cruiser is the core of a fleet.
Some people may find it wield that there is so much speculation since no one knows whether the picture is true. However, Wuhan Shipyard does have built and tested the upper structure of the destroyer. As such construction and tests are usual procedures in building a new warship, it’s natural that the picture has drawn much attention.
Chinese military expert Yin Zhuo said in an interview with CCTV (Chinese government’s major TV media) that he believed that there must be great innovation in the destroyer by using digital complete electric propulsion so that there will be enough electric power for laser weapons and electromagnetic gun.
Judging by the model of the upper structure of Type 055 destroyer in Wuhan, the destroyer is perhaps 180 meters long and 20 meters wide with a displacement exceeding 10,000 tons.
Yin believes that the destroyer will serve as the core of a Chinese fleet before China has commissioned more aircraft carriers.
Source: mil.huanqiu.com “Foreign media says China’s Type 055 destroyer surpasses US Aegis warship in capabilities and may be equipped with electromagnetic gun”




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