China Launches the World’s Most Powerful Warship

Following the dispatch of the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group to waters adjacent to Japan, the specialized magazine Military Watch examined the combat backbone of this fleet. Although the Liaoning is a smaller and less powerful carrier compared to American supercarriers, the capabilities of China’s Type 055 “super-destroyers,” particularly the Nanchang, elevate the qualitative strength of this group, positioning it as a serious rival to the U.S. fleet.

The Nanchang, commissioned into the Chinese Navy in 2020, with a displacement of 13,000 tons and 112 vertical launch missile silos, is one of the largest and heaviest surface combatants in history.

Hypersonic Missiles and Over-the-Horizon Radar

What places the Nanchang in the position of “world’s most powerful destroyer” is the unique integration of its weapons and sensor systems. This destroyer carries HHQ-9B surface-to-air missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, but its real trump card is the YJ-21 anti-ship hypersonic ballistic missile, which currently has no comparable counterpart in the world. Analysts believe this missile poses a serious threat to any aircraft carrier or hostile fleet.

In addition, the Nanchang is equipped with an advanced dual-band radar system that provides exceptional situational awareness, including the capability to track targets beyond the horizon. This capability enhances the Chinese fleet’s awareness and decision-making relative to American, Japanese, and South Korean counterparts.

Preemptive Threat and Power Shift

According to military reports, the long range of the Type 055 missiles and radars allows for preemptive strikes against potential targets. This range advantage enables the Nanchang to engage fleets several times its size and displace them from operational areas.

An example of this class’s power projection was demonstrated by the Zuni (another Type 055) during maneuvers in February 2025 in international waters off Australia, proving that these ships can neutralize significant enemy forces even without support from an aircraft carrier or auxiliary aircraft.

With the new upgrades to the Liaoning’s air wing, combined with the destructive power of the Nanchang, China’s strike group is in an exceptionally strong position, further shifting the balance of power in the Pacific Ocean in favor of the Red Dragon.