Chinese Type 055 Update

China’s Type 055 destroyer (cruiser, actually) is intended to be a functional equivalent to the US Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser.  The 055 just made its international debut at a Chinese naval parade. (1)

From China Defense Blog, a second Type 055 was launched in April 2018 and a third and fourth were launched in July 2018. (1)  Two others are known to be under construction.  That’s five Aegis-equivalent ships in a very short period while China continues to build other destroyers, frigates, and corvettes, as well.

What is the US building?  More outdated Burkes.  There are seven Burkes scheduled for commissioning over the next five years.  That’s an average of just more than one per year.  China is building surface warships at two or three times the rate we are.

Let’s take a look at the profile view of the Type 055.

Type 055 Class (Credit Ref 2)

The profile emphasizes not only the stealth shaping of the ship but also a low and greatly reduced superstructure – something ComNavOps heartily approves of in ship design.  In addition to the lower radar signature, the smaller superstructure provides less of a target and makes for a smaller visual signature.  Recall how our Gato fleet submarines in WWII underwent drastic sail reductions to reduce their visual signatures? 

Now, compare the 055 profile to a Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser profile.

Ticonderoga Class

Note the gigantic, blocky superstructure.  There’s nothing stealthy about that!  To be fair, the Type 055 is a brand new design and the Ticonderoga design dates back to the late 1970’s, long before stealth was a design consideration.  The Ticonderoga superstructure also makes for a very unstable, top heavy ship.

How about we do a quick visual comparison of the 055 to our newest surface warship, the Burke class?

Burke Class

We see that the Burke has some degree of stealth shaping but it pales in comparison to the Type 055.  Note the Burke’s large superstructure and great deal of exposed equipment, all of which detracts from the ship’s stealth.  Again, the Burke design dates back to the early 1980’s when stealth was in its infancy, so this is somewhat understandable.  However, that begs the question, why are we still building them?

There’s nothing terribly profound about this post – just a quick update and scan of the Type 055.

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(1)China Defense Blog, “China debuts most powerful destroyer in celebrations”, 25-Apr-2019,

http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2019/04/china-debuts-most-powerful-destroyer-in.html

(2)China Defense Blog, “DDG 101”, 25-Apr-2019,

http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2019/04/ddg-101.html

Type 055 Cruiser vs. Burke

Let’s take a brief look at the new Chinese Type 055 cruiser (I can’t bring myself to call it a destroyer) and how it compares to the Burke.

As a reminder, the Navy is retiring the Ticonderoga class and is not directly replacing it.  Navy descriptions of the replacement suggest a wide range of possibilities with most sounding like a collection of buzzwords rather than an actual ship design concept.  The Navy has stated that the replacement cruiser may not be a cruiser at all but, rather, a “family of ships” or a “systems of systems”.

Currently, the Ticonderogas are being replaced by more Burkes, specifically, the Flt III which the Navy has acknowledged is too small to support the required AMDR radar and will, thus, be fitted with a smaller, less capable radar.

In contrast, the Chinese are building a true cruiser, the Type 055, with four already launched and at least two more underconstruction.  Sources suggest at least 8 ships will be built with more being possible. 

Here are some basic comparative specs for the Type 055 and the Burke, per Wikipedia.

                        Burke  Type 055

Length, ft                509       590

Displacement, tons      9,100    13,000
Range, nm               4,400     5,000
Gun                     1x 5”   1x 5.1”
VLS, cells                 96       112

The specs show that the Type 055 is significantly larger although the radar and weapons are reasonably similar in number and capability. 

So, what else can we infer about the Type 055 as compared to the Burke?

Stealth.  One obvious difference is the shape of the ship with the Type 055 being decidedly stealthier than the older Burke, at least by visual observation.  Of course, it’s anyone’s guess what the true degree of stealth of the two ships is but the Type 055 certainly looks stealthier!  Assuming that’s true, this gives the Type 055 an advantage in terms of detection range.  Aircraft will have to approach closer to “see” it and it can approach its targets much closer without being seen.  The Burke, being an early stealth design, and cluttered with all manner of topside gear, is at a distinct disadvantage.  I would go so far as to say that the Burke is no longer a front line warship design as regards stealth and its impact on the ship’s combat capabilities.

Type 055 Cruiser

Photo from China Defense Blog

Power.  Another likely difference is that the Chinese are actively and aggressively pursuing directed energy weapons (lasers) and it would be almost inconceivable that a high degree of excess electrical energy generation hasn’t been built into the design.  The Chinese have seen that electrical power limitations are one of the US Navy’s challenges with their current fleet and with the Burke Flt IIIs and it’s unlikely that they haven’t incorporated that lesson into the Type 055 design. 

Upgradability.  The Type 055 design has much greater potential for future upgrades and new sensors/weapons due to its much greater size and, presumably, power, than the Burke class does.  Despite the inherent limitations and very limited growth potential of the Burke, the Navy continues to build them even at the cost of sub-optimal equipment performance.

Almost unbelievably, the Navy continues to build Burkes and are now going to build sub-optimal Flt III Burkes rather than a clean sheet design.  China has opted to build a new design cruiser.  To be fair, the Chinese had no Burke type class worth upgrading so a new design was a given.  That aside, the Type 055 appears to be larger, carries more weapon cells, and has more growth potential.  Of course, it’s an open question about the radar performance and control software.  On paper, the Type 055 is setting the standard for modern cruisers while the US Navy continues to build sub-optimal, nearly obsolete Burkes.