China’s second Type 055 large destroyer is ready for extended-range operations at sea after passing a range of drills that tested the ship’s ability to mount air defense, maritime attack and anti-submarine operations in mock battles, China’s military is claiming.
The People’s Liberation Army Northern Theater Command Navy recently put the new Chinese warship, identified as the Lhasa by the state-run Global Times newspaper, through a three-day maritime test at an “undisclosed” location in the Yellow Sea, according to media reports.
The Lhasa led a flotilla that included three corvettes through a number of drills including firing the main guns, close-in weapon systems and torpedoes. The drills “comprehensively honed the ships’ air defense, maritime attack, and anti-submarine capabilities under complex electromagnetic environments,” the Global Times said Sunday.
Other surface vessels, submarines and aircraft took part in the drills either as mock enemies or friendly forces in order to make the experience more realistic for the crew of the Lhasa, according to the Global Times.
The Lhasa is the second of eight planned large destroyers, Chinese officials said. The model, which China’s navy has been trying to develop for decades, is expected to form the primary escort for Chinese new fleet of aircraft carriers.