Accelerated Type 055 Destroyer Production: China’s Military Fully Aware

U.S. media reports that Chinese shipyards are continuously building the Type 055 10,000-ton destroyers. Even before the 10th Type 055 is launched, another hull segment of a new Type 055 appeared in the neighboring dock.

This indicates that the second batch of Type 055 destroyers is being built in a production line-like mode, significantly increasing their construction speed. Time waits for no one; the Chinese military, tasked with safeguarding national security, is keenly aware of the current situation around China.

Recently, the well-known U.S. media outlet “Navy News” reported, citing commercial satellite images, that another 10,000-ton Type 055 destroyer has been launched by the Dalian shipyard in China. It is reported to be the first of the second batch of Type 055 destroyers built by this shipyard and the 10th overall. The launch of this ship marks that China continues to maintain a construction rhythm with both northern and southern shipyards working simultaneously for the second batch of Type 055 destroyers. This has led to widespread speculation that the second batch of Type 055 destroyers will likely maintain a construction and delivery efficiency similar to the first batch, with hopes that the Chinese military can commission eight more Type 055 destroyers by 2030.

One of the main reasons for this assessment is that “Navy News” mentioned that, based on satellite image analysis, they found that even before the launch of the 10th Type 055 destroyer, the Dalian shipyard had already placed new hull segments of another Type 055 destroyer in the dock next to it. The assembly work of the two Type 055 destroyers is almost seamlessly connected, allowing shipyard workers to immediately start assembling the new Type 055 destroyer after the 10th one is launched.

This was rarely seen during the construction of the first batch of Type 055 destroyers, and the reason is clear. When undertaking the construction of the first batch of Type 055 destroyers, the largest destroyer previously built by Chinese shipyards was the 7,000-ton Type 052D. They had almost no experience in building 10,000-ton destroyers, which undoubtedly affected the construction efficiency of the Type 055 destroyers. As a result, many open-source intelligence agencies reported that it took an average of five years from dock assembly to commissioning for the first batch of Type 055 destroyers.

In contrast, the Type 052D destroyers took about 3-4 years, while the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers took around 4 years.

From this, it’s not hard to see that, against the backdrop of mass-producing Type 052D destroyers like “dumplings,” the first batch of Type 055 destroyers somewhat “stood out” in terms of time cost. Although this is closely related to the larger size and tonnage of this class of ships, the impact of workers’ experience is also worth noting.

Fortunately, judging from the construction of the second batch of Type 055 destroyers, the Dalian shipyard has evidently optimized the construction process of the Type 055 destroyers after gaining experience from building four first-batch Type 055 destroyers. This will effectively improve the dock assembly efficiency of the Type 055 destroyers, thereby shortening the time from assembly to commissioning.

In addition to the second batch of Type 055 destroyers, there is also significant attention on the Type 052D destroyers. Because in terms of ship positioning, the Type 055 destroyer is a flagship unit, the “big brother” leading the fleet into battle. A fleet without a “big brother” leading it would undoubtedly have its combat power affected. Conversely, no fleet would be entirely composed of “big brothers,” as that would be too cost-ineffective.

Therefore, when formulating naval shipbuilding plans, China needs not only larger, more advanced flagships but also some main combat ships that are not as large but are cost-effective. The former is undoubtedly the Type 055, while the latter is the Type 052D.

So far, the Chinese Navy has commissioned at least 25 Type 052D destroyers, with more than 10 in construction, outfitting, or testing stages. For example, in the dock next to the recently launched 10th Type 055 destroyer, there are at least two hull segments of Type 052D destroyers. In last year’s viral “Dalian shipyard” photo, five Type 052D destroyers appeared in the same frame, and by last week, all of these destroyers had been launched and began outfitting.

Notably, three of the five Type 052D destroyers had just completed hull assembly with no superstructure last year. Within a year, these ships have completed dock assembly, demonstrating the construction efficiency of the Type 052D destroyers.

It is also worth mentioning that in recent years, China has not only been striving to improve shipbuilding efficiency but also to shorten the testing and combat readiness processes for its ships. Evidence of this is the 8th Type 055 destroyer, Xianyang, which took only nine months from its official commissioning in April 2023 to announcing combat readiness in January 2024. Meanwhile, the 7th ship, Zunyi, took just seven months to pass the combat readiness evaluation.

These figures demonstrate that the Chinese Navy is significantly optimizing the process of building combat readiness for its ships, shortening the training period required after new ships are delivered. This can alleviate the problem of “ships waiting for crews” to some extent, while also allowing shipyards to improve shipbuilding efficiency further and fully leverage China’s industrial capacity.

Under these circumstances, as time progresses, the strength gap between the Chinese and U.S. navies will continue to narrow, with a trend towards overtaking at some point in the future. When that happens, the U.S. Navy, with its declining shipbuilding industry and dwindling Cold War fleet, will no longer be able to maintain its position as the “world’s number one navy.” When the Chinese Navy claims this title, the global situation will undergo profound changes. (Jiang Fuwei)