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| Artist's Impression of Type 055 Destroyer (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
China could be developing two types of the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer — an anti-submarine and an air-defense model — according to the Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine based in Canada.
The April edition of the magazine made the suggestion after analyzing the latest leaked satellite images of a ground model of the Type 055, which experts believe may have been designed as the successor to the People's Liberation Army Navy's highly successful Type 52D destroyer.
Based on the satellite images, the Type 055 is 19.34 meters wide, though the ship's length-side, which has only built its main gun, is yet to be finished. The distance between the main gun and the upper level structures, where vertical missile launchers will be installed, is estimated to be 16.93m, which is particularly wide given that the typical length is around 10m. The total length of the ship from the main gun to stern is 130 meters, while its displacement appears to be greater than 10,000 tons.
The model appears to have no helicopter pad, meaning that this version of the destroyer may only require small helicopter drones when attacking with guided missiles. Kanwa suggests that this means the Type 055 could be developed into two models, an anti-submarine version and an air-defense version.
Read the full story at Want China Times