China’s Type 055 Destroyers Hull 109 and 110 Make Official Debut

The PLA Navy quietly crossed a significant milestone last weekend. Two brand-new warships Hull 109 Dongguan and Hull 110 Anqing appeared on Chinese state television for the first time on March 8, 2026, pushing the total count of China’s most capable surface combatants to ten.

The footage aired on CCTV’s flagship news broadcast, Xinwen Lianbo, showing both vessels conducting joint training exercises at sea alongside other warships. It was the first time either ship had been confirmed publicly.

From Eight to Ten: A Growing Surface Fleet

Until this weekend, the PLA Navy publicly operated eight vessels in the class the Nanchang, Lhasa, Anshan, Wuxi, Dalian, Yan’an, Zunyi, and Xianyang. Those ships were split between the Northern and Southern Theater Command Navies.

The two newest additions, however, have been assigned to the Eastern Theater Command Navy. That deployment is strategically significant. For the first time, all three of China’s major naval theater commands now operate at least one Type 055 in their fleets.

What Makes the Type 055 Stand Out

Military analysts have long pointed to China’s Type 055 destroyers as among the most capable warships afloat today. The class carries a powerful combination of long-range air defense, anti-missile systems, anti-ship missiles, and land-attack capabilities a versatile weapons package that few navies can match at this tonnage.

Beyond firepower, its radar suite is built to track and manage hundreds of aerial targets simultaneously, giving fleet commanders a serious command-and-control advantage in contested environments.

Experts also suggest that Hull 109 and 110 may incorporate upgrades over the original eight ships, though specifics have not been officially confirmed.

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Supporting Carrier Groups and Distant Operations

A key driver behind expanding the fleet is China’s growing carrier force. Each carrier strike group typically needs one to two large destroyers as primary escorts. Factor in maintenance cycles and crew rotations, and the math quickly demands more hulls.

With three carrier groups potentially operating simultaneously, having only eight large destroyers was increasingly seen as a bottleneck. The addition of Dongguan and Anqing begins to close that gap though Chinese analysts have noted that even ten ships falls short of long-term operational needs.

What Comes Next

The consensus among Chinese defense commentators is clear: construction should continue. Protecting distant sea lanes, escorting amphibious assault groups built around the Type 075 and Type 076 ships and sustaining a credible far-seas presence all demand a larger force.

Whether the next batch arrives as Type 055 variants or an entirely new class remains to be seen. What is clear is that China’s Type 055 destroyers have fundamentally reshaped what the PLA Navy can project beyond its immediate coastal waters and that expansion shows no signs of slowing.

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