A training task force featuring multiple Type 055 large destroyers from the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducts long-endurance combat exercise in the South China Sea in the summer of 2024. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

 

China recently deployed a group of warships including three Type 055 large destroyers to the South China Sea for a training exercise, a powerful task force experts said on Thursday will contribute to peace and stability amid regional tensions caused by continuous Filipino provocation.

A destroyer detachment affiliated with the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command recently organized a training task force to conduct round-the-clock long-endurance combat exercises in the South China Sea, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

Consisting of Type 055 large destroyers the Xianyang, the Zunyi and the Yan'an and the Type 052C destroyer Haikou, the training task force practiced main gun firing against land targets, anti-submarine, sea assault, replenishment-at-sea during the six-day drills, the CCTV report said.

Upon reaching the target region, the task force quickly maneuvered to advantageous positions, formed a defensive formation before switching to a sea attack formation to launch precision strikes on mock targets.

When multiple unidentified aerial objects approached, the task force quickly adjusted to an anti-aircraft formation and intercepted the mock air targets.

A shipborne helicopter was then launched and coordinated with the warships to conduct multidimensional search on submarines.

In the most eye-catching element of the drills, the three Type 055 large destroyers first advanced side by side then in a line and simulated a replenishment-at-sea operation.

The drills further honed the group's joint command capabilities and improved each ship's individual combat capabilities, CCTV reported.

This was labelled the first occasion made known to the public that three Type 055 large destroyers have gathered in a same exercise, a Chinese military expert who requested for anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Having a displacement of more than 12,000 tons, the Type 055 is widely believed to be one of the world's most powerful warships due to its 130mm main gun, the 112-cell vertical launch system as well as advanced radar systems, sensors and jamming antennas integrated into its stealthy mast, analysts said, citing openly available information.

The PLA Navy has commissioned eight Type 055s as of 2024, with four of them in service with the Southern Theater Command facing the South China Sea.

The latest exercise is likely a routine one that is not targeted any third party, but coming at a time when the Philippines has been engaged in continuous provocation on Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea under the instigation of the US, it in effect served as a deterrence, displayed China's capability in defending its sovereign security and maritime rights and safeguard peace and stability in the region, the abovementioned expert said.