Second of China's Biggest Warship, Type 055 Destroyer, 'Ready for Missions'

The Chinese Navy’s second Type 055 destroyer, the Lhasa, recently passed a full-course training assessment, making it all ready for far sea missions beyond the first island chain.

Organized by a vessel training center attached to the PLA Northern Theater Command Navy, the assessment put the Lhasa, together with three Type 056A corvettes, through a three-day maritime test at an undisclosed region in the Yellow Sea, government-owned China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday. The tests included evaluating the vessel's air defense, maritime attack and anti-submarine capabilities in mock battles.

“With the completion of the full-course training assessment, the Lhasa is now at 100% in terms of combat capability, with the crew well integrated with the ship's advanced weapons and equipment,” Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Sunday. This is demonstrated by the participation of other vessels and aircraft, as they can help examine the Lhasa's capabilities in facing real targets and test its coordination with other elements in joint combat, Wei added.

The warship entered service in March 2021. Led by the Lhasa, the flotilla fired weapons including main guns, close-in weapon systems, jamming rounds and torpedoes, and comprehensively honed the ships' air defense, maritime attack and anti-submarine capabilities under complex electromagnetic environments, the report said.

In order to make the tests more challenging and realistic, other surface vessels, submarines, early warning aircraft and helicopters joined the assessment either as mock enemies or as friendly forces, CCTV reported, with scenes showing a Z-9 helicopter taking off from the flight deck of the Lhasa, and what seems to be a Type 052D destroyer sailing not far away, although it was not fully distinguishable due to heavy sea fog.

Analysts predict that the Lhasa will follow the steps of the Nanchang, the first hull in the Type 055 class, and start far sea voyages and join aircraft carrier groups this year.

Lhasa has 112 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land-attack missiles and anti-submarine missiles, making is one of the more powerful surface vessels in the world.