China's 055 destroyer, since its inception, has been the focus of attention in the global military field, and its excellent performance is amazing.
However, it is puzzling that China did not put this ship into production on a large scale, but chose more of the 052D model, which is slightly less powerful.
In fact, although the 055 destroyer has been unanimously praised by Chinese and foreign military experts, the timing of the birth of its first ships has lagged behind, which has caused it to encounter some embarrassment on the road to development.
Looking back, in 2018, the first 055 destroyer, the Nanchang ship, set sail for the first time and started its sea test journey. Two years later, it was officially put into service and became the pride of the Chinese Navy.
However, its development began quietly around 2012, when the 052D model was just beginning to emerge. This dislocation of time may be one of the obstacles on the road to the development of the 055 destroyer.
Today, China's naval strength is soaring, and its speed of development is like a speeding high-speed train, which is breathtaking. Such a speed of development may have exceeded the expectations of the experts who designed the 055 destroyer.
However, even in this context, the 055 destroyer, with its great strength, still showed its indispensable role at sea.
Time flies, and in an instant, it's 2024. On January 7, Xinhua News Agency came with the good news that the Nanchang ship was awarded the title of "Model of the Times", which is the best praise for its outstanding performance.
In the special column of "Model of the Times" broadcast by CCTV, an exciting past was disclosed - the 055 drive had fought with the US aircraft carrier formation at sea for more than 20 days, and finally returned triumphantly.
This legendary experience undoubtedly once again proves the strong strength and indomitable spirit of the 055 destroyer, and the performance and strength of the 055 destroyer are undoubtedly the best in sea power.
However, there is a subtle contrast between its development history and the rapid rise of the Chinese Navy, which also makes it somewhat stretched in the overall strategic deployment of the navy.
At present, the development of China's navy is in an unprecedented period, but this is only a magnificent prelude, looking forward to the next decade, we may witness a series of revolutionary technological innovations.
Including the take-off of shipborne UAVs, the roar of shipborne electromagnetic guns, the keen insight of new concept radars, and the intelligent upgrade of shipboard electrical systems.
The rapid development of these technologies has undoubtedly put forward higher requirements for the PLA Navy, and has promoted the continuous evolution and iteration of its equipment system.
However, in the midst of this magnificent change, we also face an embarrassing reality: even a maritime giant like the 055 destroyer is at risk of rapid technological obsolescence.
If we prematurely invest a lot of resources in the construction of the 055 destroyer, and in the future more advanced ** turns out, then these efforts will not be in vain?
Therefore, perhaps we should carefully consider whether we should temporarily slow down the pace of construction of the first batch of 055 destroyers and devote more energy to the research and development of new technologies.
After all, only when the technical foundation is solid and the future direction is clear, can we confidently and boldly carry out the research and development of a new generation of **.
These new ships may be an upgraded version of the 055 destroyer, or they may be brand new warships with a new number, of course, some people may question that the 055 destroyer can be used as a transitional option.
However, we must be soberly aware that the 055 destroyer is not perfect, especially in the face of such an excellent ** as the 052D, its advantages are not as obvious as imagined.
The 052D, as a transitional version, also shows excellent performance and potential, and at the crossroads of future technological changes, we need to carefully weigh the pros and cons and choose the most suitable path for the future development of the Chinese Navy.
In China's spectrum of naval equipment, the Type 055 destroyer is undoubtedly a dazzling star, attracting countless attention.
However, at the same time, we cannot ignore the presence of the Type 052D destroyer, which also has a unique charm and potential.
In a way, there is no world of difference between Type 055 destroyers and Type 052D destroyers. They share a similar vertical launch system and hull structure design, which makes people sigh that they are connected by blood.
If the Type 055 is an advanced version of the Type 052D, then it is more like a subtle polishing and improvement in terms of gas turbine power, radar system and electronic systems, while at the same time increasing the tonnage.
However, this subtle difference did not bring enough innovative breakthroughs to the Type 055 destroyer, nor did it show subversive progress on the basis of the previous generation, which made it look a little embarrassing in the wave of naval equipment upgrading.
Even at the risk of being eliminated in the future, however, the Type 052D destroyer has its own unique advantages. It is functionally comparable to the Type 055 destroyer, but the cost is more affordable and the disposal after decommissioning is more convenient.
More importantly, the current Type 052D destroyers already have the potential to enter the international market. For China, this means that even as new concepts emerge in the future, older generations** face the challenge of mass retirement.
We can still achieve the reuse of resources and maximize economic benefits by sending **052D destroyers to other countries, which undoubtedly injects a new vitality into the sustainable development of the Chinese Navy.
All things considered, although the Type 055 destroyer occupies a pivotal position in the construction of the Chinese Navy, the Type 052D destroyer also shows its unique competitive advantage.
Looking ahead, the Chinese Navy must weigh the performance and cost-effectiveness of these two destroyers when deploying strategies, so as to ensure the stability and durability of China's maritime defense forces.
In the process of building the 055 destroyer, we took a cautious approach given the potential for future technological innovations, and the number of the first batch of 055 built was relatively limited.
At present, the 055 destroyer is not introduced to the international market, and some of the cutting-edge technology incorporated into it also maintains a high degree of secrecy, so we may not see a foreign trade version of it appear in the foreseeable future.
However, from the perspective of the transition stage, the Type 052D destroyer undoubtedly showed superior adaptability compared to the 055.
People may wonder what the future ** will look like, so that the Type 055 is ashamed of itself. First of all, on the ** system, the Type 055 destroyers in service have been equipped with 112 vertical launch systems.
This system has been tested in combat and performed well, but in the future, it is likely to achieve a breakthrough in this area and introduce a more advanced new concept strike system.
In addition, although the Type 055 is equipped with a 30mm close-in defense gun and main gun with excellent performance, in the future, cutting-edge technologies such as electromagnetic guns and lasers may be used to replace the existing main gun and close-in defense artillery systems.
These innovations will greatly enhance the strike capability and medium-range defense level of the future **, and are even expected to surpass the Burke-class destroyers of the United States.
Moreover, from the perspective of tonnage, with the continuous emergence of new technologies, the required carrying space and tonnage will also rise.
The existing Type 055 destroyers already have 130,000 tons of displacement, but the future ** is likely to reach or even exceed 20,000 tons of displacement.
This change will promote a qualitative leap in the future of shipborne systems, combat capabilities and comprehensive performance, and inject more powerful impetus into the future development of the Chinese Navy.
In the field of design, concealment has always been a topic worth going deeper. At present, many ** are more prominent in the infrared signature, which makes it difficult to hide under the nose of the infrared detector.
Especially in the final stage of operations, how to maintain a high degree of concealment is a major test of every country's naval technology.
In the United States, for example, although they tried to reduce the infrared signal with electric propulsion, the actual effect was not satisfactory. For our Navy, the best design of the future is undoubtedly full of infinite possibilities.
We have reason to believe that in the near future, the Chinese ** ship will achieve new breakthroughs and innovations in concealment. This expectation is not groundless, from the conceptual map of some military fields.
We can already glimpse the rudiments of the future, which may employ more advanced stealth techniques to make the enemy elusive.
And these conceptual maps are not only our vision of the future, but also an important medium to stimulate our thinking. They may contain many novel design concepts and provide valuable ideas for improving concealment.
We look forward to these ideas being translated into reality and bringing new breakthroughs to the research and development of medium-sized ships. Of course, when discussing the concealment of the first ship, we cannot ignore the in-depth understanding and analysis of the existing technology.
Xinhuanet's report on the "Type 055 missile destroyer", China's introduction to the characteristics of the "Type 052D destroyer", and authoritative materials such as "the PLA's active main battle equipment" have all provided us with valuable references.
These materials not only show the current technical level of the Chinese ship, but also reveal the possible direction of future development for us.
Looking to the future, we look forward to new breakthroughs and progress in the concealment of the Chinese and first-class ships. This will not only enhance the combat capability of our navy, but will also win more respect and recognition for our navy in the international arena.