Military and National Defence >Equipment and Weapon Systems
Chinese Aegis Missile Destroyer
The Chinese Aegis Missile Destroyer, also known as "Chinese Zeus Aegis", is actually a nickname made by experts in and out of China, as well as by military enthusiasts. It is the Chinese Navy’s first generation air defense missile destroyer with phased array radar and a vertical launch system, and is thus honored as the "Chinese Aegis".
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China Commissions Fourth 'Carrier Killer Destroyer'

All in all, the PLAN plans to build a fleet of 12 Type 052D destroyers–nicknamed “Chinese Aegis”–before shifting production to the newer Type 055D multi-role cruiser. IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly further notes that “[e]arlier in July, the seventh Type 052D emerged from the building shed at the Jiangnan Changxingdao shipyard in Shanghai and after launch joined the sixth of class currently fitting out. Photographs showing visible progress on the eighth and ninth hulls have also appeared.” The likely mission sets of the new guided-missile destroyer can range “from anti-piracy patrols to aircraft carrier escort to air defense for Chinese civilian activities like oil drilling rigs,” Popular Science explains.

China Building Type 055 Destroyer More Powerful Than U.S. Arleigh Burke-Class

The Type 055 is much closer to a cruiser than a destroyer with a displacement of 12,000 tons. It will be the largest vessel ever built by China, next to the Liaoning aircraft carrier which was refitted from a hulk purchased from Ukraine. The Chinese government claims that the Type 055, which is equipped with 128 vertical launch tubes, would be the counterpart of a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System, albeit more powerful that the U.S. equivalent. However, compared to the current Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, the Type 055 looks more like the real "Chinese Aegis," the report said.

Expert: China's future destroyer more advanced than USS Zumwalt

Based on previous analyses by U.S. media, the Type-052C "China Aegis" that's currently in service with a displacement of about 7,000 tons is equipped with 48 vertical missile launching units, the Type-052D has a displacement of about 7,500 tons with 64 vertical launching units, and the new-generation Type-055 destroyer will have a displacement of over 10,000 tons with 90-100 vertical launching units. More importantly, the current Type-052C is only able to carry out air defense, anti-vessel and anti-submarine tasks while the Type-055 has considerably improved ground strike capability. Expert said the new-generation surface vessel will have "revolutionary" progress. It will be better able to protect aircraft carrier with enhanced combat capability. According to Du Wenlong, China does need large multi-purpose surface vessel like Type-055 destroyer to serve as the "armed guard" of aircraft carrier. The current Type-052C and Type-052D cannot serve general and multiple purposes, leaving room for improvement.

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1 The PLAN has 11 "Chinese Aegis" destroyers, with 6 more on order and 1 Type 055 cruiser in development.

2 The Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer, nicknamed “China’s Aegis,” fits perfectly into China’s anti-access, area-denial (AA/AD) strategy.

3 The Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company, traditionally China’s largest shipbuilder, has launched its second Type 052D Luyang III-class destroyer—dubbed “Chinese Aegis”—on August 3 in Dalian in Northeast China.