The Navy of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLAN) continues to move forward with the operational validation of its largest vessels. In recent days, one of its modern Type 055 destroyers, Zunyi (107), carried out a confrontational anti-submarine exercise in the South China Sea, one of the most sensitive and complex regions from a naval standpoint, thus reinforcing a key aspect of its combat capabilities.
According to information reported by official Chinese media, the exercise was conducted under a free and realistic training format, pitting the destroyer against a submarine in a scenario that required reconnaissance tasks, early detection, and continuous tracking. During the maneuver, the destroyer Zunyi was assigned forward alert and surveillance missions in support of a naval task force, successfully acquiring the target and transmitting data in real time to build a comprehensive picture of the tactical environment.
PLAN officials have emphasized that anti-submarine warfare represents one of the most complex challenges of modern naval combat. In this regard, Zunyi’s performance was based on a systematic process that included prior analysis of the area of operations, precise calculations before contact, rigorous control during the exercise, and a detailed post-exercise evaluation.
Although the Type 055 has been widely highlighted for its area air-defense and anti-ship strike capabilities, this exercise once again brings its potential in anti-submarine warfare into focus. Along the same lines, Chinese analysts stress that, thanks to its greater displacement, the ship can incorporate larger and longer-range bow-mounted and towed sonars than those present on Type 052D destroyers or Type 054A frigates, in addition to integrating new acoustic technologies that would improve the detection and classification of submarine contacts at greater distances.
Type 055 guided-missile destroyers are characterized as platforms of approximately 180 meters in length and 22 meters in beam, and they can carry significant amounts of equipment and remain at sea for longer periods compared to the previous generation of destroyers. In addition, in terms of armament, the ships are equipped with 130 mm guns and vertical launch missile systems (VLS) with 48 and 64 cells, housing anti-ship cruise missiles, HHQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, and anti-submarine missiles. As of today, the Chinese Navy has nine such platforms; the most recent one, which has not yet been named, began sea trials in early 2025.
Finally, it should be mentioned that, with more than 200 days at sea and over 50,000 nautical miles sailed in the past year, Zunyi has participated in exercises with carrier strike groups, combat patrols in the South China Sea, and long-range training in distant seas. However, one of the most significant recent events was the launch of a hypersonic YJ-20 anti-ship missile from the Type 055 destroyer Wuxi, marking the first time such a launch was conducted from a Chinese warship.
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