Type 055 Renhai

China's largest and most powerful surface combatant — a 12,000-ton multi-mission destroyer with 112 universal VLS cells, built as the PLAN's carrier-strike-group escort flagship.

Overview

The Type 055 (PLAN designation; Western reporting name Renhai-class) is a large guided-missile destroyer that the US Department of Defense and Office of Naval Intelligence classify as a cruiser because of its displacement, which exceeds that of the Russian Slava-class and US Ticonderoga-class cruisers. Armed with 112 universal vertical-launch cells, an advanced dual-band AESA radar suite, and space for two helicopters, it is the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s premier surface combatant — built to escort aircraft carriers, conduct long-range strike, and project power across the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. Naval Technology and Business Insider both describe it as the most potent warship China has ever produced.

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