China's Type 055 destroyer 'sunk' by us missiles in war game
Chinese media has featured the results of a war game that simulated a clash with the United States. In this simulated battle, American LRASM missiles penetrated Chinese defenses and sunk a guided missile destroyer. However, Western analysts are questioning why China decided to make this information public.
Type 055 ships rank among the most modern and largest vessels in the Chinese navy. Although Beijing classifies them as destroyers, due to their displacement exceeding 14,000 tons and capabilities, the West considers them a class higher: cruisers.
The primary asset of these 607-foot vessels is the 112-cell vertical launch system, which can deploy anti-ship missiles (like the YJ-18), anti-aircraft missiles (HHQ-9), and cruise missiles (CJ-10), as well as anti-ship ballistic missiles (YJ-21). Type 055 ships are designed with stealth features and equipped with modern sensors, self-defense systems, and electronic warfare capabilities.
The Chinese used this class of ship in a simulated confrontation with the Americans. During the simulation, the Type 055 destroyer was attacked by ten LRASM anti-ship missiles launched from various platforms.
The AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is an anti-ship variant of the JASSM-ER missile, which can be carried by aircraft and launched from shipborne Mk 41 VLS or land-based HIMARS launchers.
Introduced into service in 2017, the LRASM is intended to replace the Harpoon missile. It offers enhanced capabilities and a range of over 560 miles.
Type 055 destroyer "sunk" by LRASM missiles
During a simulation conducted by the state-run North China Institute of Computing Technology (NCICT), the Chinese Type 055 destroyer was attacked by ten LRASM missiles and eventually sunk. However, before being sunk, the ship was able to disrupt the guidance of most of the rockets.
While sinking a ship with a purpose-designed weapon is expected, the unusual factor is China's decision to publicize the simulation's course.
According to the RUSI think tank, which analyzed the Chinese report on these simulated battles, China’s intention may be to showcase the significant capabilities of its new warships to the world, particularly in electronic warfare, GPS signal jamming over large areas, and—as shown in the simulation—interfering with the passive radar of the LRASM missiles.
Advertising Chinese capabilities
From this perspective, the seemingly unfavorable outcome for China—resulting in the sinking of a ship—serves as a display of its capabilities in detecting, tracking, and neutralizing anti-ship missiles.
Simultaneously, RUSI notes that by simulating a battle with the USA, China did not incorporate the presence of AWACS aircraft or hard-kill self-defense measures (physically destroying incoming missiles), instead focusing solely on electronic warfare.
