According to the newly exposed pictures on the Internet, the second batch of Type 055 missile destroyers built by Jiangnan Shipyard, that is, the total No. 9 ship of this 10,000-ton drive, with the port number 109, has been awarded the ship name "Jiaxing" by the Chinese Navy Headquarters, and has undergone sea trials in a certain area of the East China Sea.
From the launch of outfitting on December 28, 2023, the completion of the mooring test work, to the recent formal sea trial, the Type 055 No. 9 ship took less than 7 months, reflecting the superb skills and excellent engineering progress of Jiangnan Shipyard in manufacturing this 10,000-ton drive.
After careful debugging and comprehensive testing by the Jiangnan Shipyard, suppliers of shipboard equipment, and naval officers and sailors, it is speculated that in the first half of 2025, the Eastern Theater Navy will usher in 109 "Jiaxing" ships, which will undoubtedly enhance the overall strength of the fleet.
Judging by the photos of sea trials of the 109 "Jiaxing" ship, there is a Z-9C anti-submarine helicopter, which appeared above the aft deck of the ship. It is suspected that the take-off and landing test of the carrier-based helicopter is being carried out to verify the ship's aerial submarine search/attack operations.
It seems that Hafei will speed up the mass production of the Z-20F, a new 10-ton anti-submarine helicopter, to meet the equipment needs of the Chinese Navy's Type 055 10,000-ton drive and Type 052DL/052M missile destroyers for new carrier-based helicopters when performing aviation anti-submarine missions.
Type 055 missile destroyer, with a full load displacement of 13,000 tons, has a dual-band gallium nitride active phased array radar, a comprehensive radio frequency system with mast integration, 112 units of 850 mm hot and cold universal vertical silos, and has powerful anti-ship, air defense, anti-missile, land attack, anti-submarine and other comprehensive combat performance, and is recognized by the global military community as the most powerful active missile destroyer, NATO will name Type 055 "CG-cruiser".
At present, the Chinese Navy has 8 055 missile destroyers, with the board number 101-104, equipped with a destroyer detachment of the Navy in the Northern Theater; The ships No. 105-108 were all in service with a certain destroyer detachment of the Navy in the Southern Theater of Operations.
With the imminent arrival of the 109 "Jiaxing" warship, a certain destroyer detachment of the Eastern Theater Navy, which is on the front line of the military struggle against Taiwan, will greatly improve its overall offensive and defensive performance, especially in terms of sea strikes, and the Type 055 10,000-ton 9-meter-deep silo capable of vertically launching 1,500 kilometers of the "Eagle Strike"-21 anti-ship ballistic missile, is a proper "aircraft carrier killer."
With a flight speed of Mach 6 and a sprint speed of up to Mach 10 at the end, this hypersonic missile can break through the "Aegis" anti-air defense system and kill large surface ships such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious assault ships with one hit, making them instantly lose their naval combat capabilities.
In addition, the 135 "Dazhou" ship, a Type 052DM missile destroyer with a full load displacement of 7,500 tons and a 64-cell 850-mm vertical silos, has now been included in a certain destroyer detachment of the Navy in the Eastern Theater of Operations, and the detachment will also receive at least one Type 052DM missile destroyer by the end of the year.
The Type 052DM missile destroyer is the latest version of the 052D series of missile destroyers. There is another ton with a full load displacement of 8,000 on the Internet, which can be used as a reference for netizens who are interested in this large air defense destroyer.
The latest missile destroyer of the Type 052D series is second only to the Type 055 10,000-ton drive in terms of comprehensive combat performance among destroyers in the Chinese Navy. There is no doubt that its arrival has greatly enhanced the strength of the naval fleet in the Eastern Theater.
In short, the recent Type 055 10,000-ton drive and Type 052DM air defense destroyers have begun to "dump" again, which not only reflects the strong production capacity of China's military industry, but also demonstrates China's determination to rapidly increase the scale of the main combat ship of the air defense destroyer in the face of the threat from external forces from the sea.
The Type 055 10,000-ton drive and Type 052DM missile destroyers integrate the latest military scientific and technological achievements of contemporary China and demonstrate strong combat capability and comprehensive strength. With the timely replenishment of these new bloods, the overall strength of the East China Sea Fleet cannot be underestimated, and it will play an irreplaceable role in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.