China currently has the world's largest navy in terms of total number of vessels. The Type 055 is the biggest destroyer class in China's People's Liberation Army Navy.
The Nanchang (101) destroyer. Sun Zifa/China News Service/Getty Images
Chinese media has touted the ship as the second-most powerful destroyer in the world after the USS Zumwalt.
China's type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang sails during the naval exercise Joint Sea-2021 on October 19, 2021 in the Western part of the Pacific Ocean. Sun Zifa/China News Service/Getty Images
The Zumwalt is the largest destroyer in the world, with a displacement of 15,907 tons. The Type 055 is slightly lighter at 12,000-13,000 tons.
Unlike the American-made USS Zumwalt, which is focused on land attacks, the Type 055 is an amphibious assault ship, according to the SCMP.
And while the Zumwalt has since been called a "failed ship concept," after being plagued with equipment issues, the Type 055 has been hailed "the world's most powerful destroyer" by several military publications.
The Type 055 is the first destroyer in the world to test railgun technologies at sea, according to Military Watch Magazine.
There are six ships in the Type 055 class.
Nanchang (101) destroyer in April 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The first-ever ship in the class, the Nanchang (pennant number 101), was launched in June 2017 and commissioned in January 2020. Five more have since been deployed in active service: the Lhasa (102), Anshan (104), Wuxi (107), and Dalian (105), Yan'an (106), according to geopolitical publication Special Eurasia.
The ships are part of China's Northern Theatre Command, which encompasses Mongolia, Russian Siberia, and Korea; and the Southern Theatre Command, which encompasses the South China Sea and Southeast Asia, per Special Eurasia.
The massive ships are powered by six turbine generators, per The Diplomat.
The first Type 055, Nanchang (101) guided-missile destroyer. Xinhua/Li Tang/Getty Images
The ships use four gas turbines that generate a total of 150,000 horsepower. They have a cruising speed of 30 knots (56 kilometers per hour). The ships can accommodate over 300 crew on board.
Lhasa, the second ship in the class, was seen sailing as far as the Sea of Japan in June, according to Global Times.
The ships cost 6 billion Chinese yuan ($920 million) per unit, according to Military Watch Magazine, making it far less expensive than the USS Zumwalt.
Sailors stand on the deck of the new type 055 guide missile destroyer Nanchang of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in April 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Unlike the Zumwalt destroyers, the Type 055 has advanced stealth capabilities, according to Military Watch Magazine.
The new type 055 guide missile destroyer Nanchang of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in April 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The Type 055 has dual band radar systems, the Type 346B Dragon Eye, that the US Navy had "failed to integrate" onto the Zumwalts, per the publication.
In addition to advanced radars, the Type 055 also has torpedoes, and it can carry two helicopters: the Harbin Z-9 and the Changhe Z-18.