Yet the outmoded World War II gun-based language still shapes the thoughts and opinions of politicians, the general public – and military personnel.īut the raw numbers show a 48-cell “Air Warfare Destroyer” has little chance of protecting itself – yet alone the troop transports it is tasked to guard – against even a single 112-cell “Guided Missile Destroyer”.Īnd the US Pentagon is accelerating plans to retire its expensive-to-maintain Ticonderoga Cruiser fleet, despite plans for its replacement – DDG (X) – appearing to have stalled. These designations – cruiser, destroyer or frigate – appear meaningless in the context of their size and firepower.Ī Type 055 undergoing speed trials. All carry 48-cell Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) and an assortment of short-range and point-defence weapons. All are bigger than World War II cruisers. It’s the third and final of a batch of three modern 7000-ton warships based on a Spanish F-100 “frigate” design. The Royal Australian Navy recently accepted the “Air-Warfare Destroyer” HMAS Sydney. It’s designation is Guided Missile Cruiser. But it’s called a Guided Missile Destroyer. That’s the equivalent of a World War II heavy cruiser. ![]() Prototypes of such weapons are already being tested at sea. Now Beijing-controlled media reports the Type 055s are fitted with 20-megawatt generators capable of powering high-energy weapons such as lasers and electromagnetic rail guns. Some US Ticonderoga and Arleigh-Burke class ships also have this capability. Not only does this put crucial surveillance and communications satellites at risk, it also indicates the potential to intercept ballistic rockets – whether they carry hypersonic or nuclear warheads or not. Its VLS cells can carry 9m-long missiles powerful enough to reach them. But it’s the potential of Type 055 that has the US Navy on edge.Ĭhinese Communist Party-controlled media claims its dual-band radars can detect stealth aircraft and track low-Earth orbit satellites.
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