China just simultaneously launched two Type 055 "destroyers"

China has been building their navy at a crazy rate. Last year they hit approximate parity with the US launched tonnage and this year they have blown us away. Part of that is because they launched a new carrier this year and we have not. However, that's not the entire story. It's not just their carriers being built at a furious rate, but also the escorts for those carriers.



On July 3rd, 2018, China simultaneously launched two Type 055 desroyers. These destroyers are far, far closer in capability to our cruisers, the vaunted Ticonderoga class, than they are the Arleigh Burke class. destroyers. They have 115 VLS cells rather than the 90 odd the Burkes do and have a comparable radar system to the SP-1Y used on in the Tico's Aegis. The Type 055 displaces over 10k tons, some state 13k tons when fully fitted out.

The real kicker is in a little over a year, the Chinese haven't just built 2, but rather 4 of the near-cruisers. They officially plan 8. They will probably have all of them in the water in the next year. The reason they have cut this to just 8 may be because of their railgun being potentially ready for a warship. If that's the case, the next class of ships will support this new weapon as a center piece.

While we will be adding more tonnage of our own, to be sure, we won't hit a rate like this until at least 2020, if not later. Underestimating the growth of the CHinese military would be foolish at best.

a reply to: anzha

The way our navy has been lately they would likely crash on the way out of the harbor.

We need to strike now before their Invasion forces have sufficient numbers to begin attacking g and occupying their neighbors who are our allies. China is clearly gearing up for a direct confrontation. If we do not strike first we will be struck first.

a reply to: anzha

Sorry but this cant be true I have it on good authority the rest of the world is living together peacefully its just us hateful Americans holding up progress. Those are just peace ships.

Well, to quote the Admiral Cunningham of the Royal Navy, back in 1941... "It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition."

Read it in the context of the OP.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

China is clearly gearing up for a direct confrontation. If we do not strike first we will be struck first.

Why would they attack their biggest customer?

a reply to: anzha

Quality is better than quantity.

Also I believe they calculate civilian vessels into naval capacity as they can call them into service.... Don't quote me on that though.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Have you seen the quality for Americas latest ship?

Zumwalt....

a reply to: CriticalStinker
Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are. Others their biggest customers. These are the allies they are gearing up to bring Into their hegemony. Just like Russia took back Crimea, south ossetia, and abkhazia, the chinese seek to do similar in the Pacific.

a reply to: Bluntone22

The one with the cannons we can't afford to use?

a reply to: anzha

Yeah, the one that needs a tugboat escort.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Well, now, there you go guy! Hop a plane and attack China! I'm behind you! Way, way, way behind you, cheering you on!

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: worldstarcountry

China is clearly gearing up for a direct confrontation. If we do not strike first we will be struck first.

Why would they attack their biggest customer?

That's right!
China wouldn't have much of a Navy without Walmart shoppers.

I'm pretty sure China is gearing itself up for war with the U.S.. The USA may be China's biggest customer's but they can afford to dump the USA for other countries that can collectively provide the same benefits. To think China wouldn't amass a major pacific assault on Hawaii or California is foolish. The only thing standing in China's way is the US pacific fleets and that is if the US doesn't anticipate any major imminent confrontations from China.

China's long game is to inevitably win a war against the US and maybe even claim the western side of the US mainland. I can promise you the PLA has a similar strategy in their battle plans.

At the current rate of China's construction, they will surpass the US in less than a decade.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Which is still better, by far, than the LCS. Zumwalt is doing exactly what it should though. You don't build something that advanced without running into issues. And you don't buld something that is potentially game changing without a very painful learning curve.

a reply to: WarPig1939

Surpassing the US won't help until they have the doctrine and ability to use all those ships together. Numbers help, but aren't everything.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The LCS vs the Chinese Type 54A.

At leas the LCS have 24 Hellfire missiles with a 5 nm range. Oh wait. still not ready.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Yeah the lcs has its issues too

a reply to: anzha

And at the last RIMPAC they declared the Harpoon launch a successful test, despite the missile going god only knows where and blowing up. According to the Navy thetest was to see if they could launch it, not actually hit anything.

a reply to: Bluntone22

That's a nice way to put it.