CHINA-PLA: PLA NAVY'S TYPE-055 DESTROYER 'NANCHANG' SPOTTED PASSING THROUGH TSUSHIMA STRAIT AND SAILING TOWARD SEA OF JAPAN

Global Times (March 19), quoting a Japan Ministry of Defense Joint Staff press release of March 19, reported that China's new 10,000-ton Type-055 destroyer 'Nanchang' accompanied by the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Chengdu and the Type 054A guided missile frigate Daqing passed through the Tsushima Strait and sailed toward the Sea of Japan on March 18.  The press release, it added, said this is the first time the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has spotted a Type 055 destroyer.  Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, said that by entering the Sea of Japan the Type 055 shows it has gained the capability to patrol in distant sea regions, and is an indication of the PLA Navy’s progress.  He said this operation is probably routinely scheduled to allow the Nanchang to hone its combat capabilities and that it would be interesting to see if the PLA flotilla sails through other straits near Japan and enter the western Pacific.

(Comment: China has built a total of eight Type 055s with two of them known to have entered service. The first Type 055-class to enter PLAN service was the Nanchang on January 12, 2020, and the second ship Lhasa in early 2021.)







Subscribe to Newswire | Site Map | Email Us
Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, A-50, Second Floor, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi-110057
Tel: 011 41017353
Email: office@ccasindia.org