"Over 200 Days at Sea Annually: Experts Interpret the 'Hardcore Strength' of the PLA's Zunyi Ship, Which Once Monitored Foreign Vessels"

【Global Times Report by Reporter Guo Yuandan】According to CCTV 7, since the commissioning of the PLA Navy's Type 055 destroyer Zunyi, it has repeatedly encountered foreign military ships and aircraft conducting close reconnaissance and tracking. During this time, the dramatic reversal where the foreign ship actively monitored but was instead "blown up" has sparked heated discussions. Experts interviewed by the Global Times stated that this detail intuitively demonstrates the hard-core strength of the Chinese Navy and ignites a strong sense of national pride among the public.

Repeatedly "tangled" with foreign military ships and aircraft

The "10,000-ton large destroyer" Zunyi (hull number 107), as an important command node, information center, and mobile fortress of new maritime forces, has deeply integrated into the aircraft carrier battle group system operations, successfully completing several major tasks such as conducting realistic combat exercises in the South Pacific, with an average of over 200 days at sea each year.

During this time, Zunyi has repeatedly encountered foreign military ships and aircraft conducting close reconnaissance and monitoring. Zunyi's Zhang Jun recalled, "During that mission, we were organizing routine training activities. A foreign ship was monitoring Zunyi. We were sailing at high speed, and the other side was also monitoring us while sailing at high speed. Just at that moment of stalemate, (suddenly) all its power and electricity went out, the radar stopped emitting waves, and the navigation lights went out for nearly half an hour, but our equipment and personnel had no issues at all."

In response, military expert Zhang Junsha told Global Times reporters on the 8th that the reason this detail has attracted widespread attention is that it intuitively presents the strength gap between Chinese and foreign vessels to the public, highlighting the excellent overall standard of domestically produced ships and further showcasing the confidence and strength of the Chinese Navy.

Zhang Junsha believes that regardless of the nationality of the vessel, the malfunction of the "foreign ship" in question indicates that it has been in service for a long time, has a considerable age, and lacks sufficient maintenance. From a military and technical perspective, this encounter between Zunyi and the foreign ship fully reflects the excellent performance of the Type 055 10,000-ton destroyer, the enhanced operational capabilities of the Chinese Navy, and the professionalism and legitimacy of Chinese naval vessel operations. High-speed sailing poses a significant test for a ship's power and electrical systems. Zunyi has abundant power and significant electrical redundancy, allowing it to operate smoothly even in extreme sea conditions. In contrast, the foreign ship may have experienced malfunctions due to prolonged high-speed sailing at full load, leading to overheating or system aging. This also indicates that the comprehensive performance of the Type 055 10,000-ton destroyer is quite outstanding.

The system operational capability behind the "calmness"

When asked by a CCTV reporter whether he would feel nervous in such situations, Zhang Jun confidently responded, "Why should I be nervous? I am definitely not nervous. As long as I am within my missile range, I can definitely eliminate you."

This calmness stems from Zunyi's strong combat capability, "Every move of the opponent is within my line of sight. If the opponent really makes a sudden move, I will have more intense firepower, shorter response time, and higher accuracy. We can achieve first-round hits. With the support of the system and other forces, I can launch a counterattack on the same target or a target next to you."

In this regard, Zhang Junsha analyzed that, in fact, naval vessels confronting foreign military forces at sea is not only a competition of individual ship performance but also a reflection of system operational capabilities.

"Zunyi has strong situational awareness and firepower strike capabilities, and under system support, it can calmly respond to the close reconnaissance harassment of foreign ships, reflecting the enhanced operational capabilities of the Chinese Navy. The Chinese Navy conducts regular combat readiness and realistic training exercises in the South China Sea, enabling vessels to adapt to complex sea conditions and maintain operational resilience, with stronger system operational capabilities to calmly respond to various close reconnaissance and harassment," Zhang Junsha stated.

Zhang Junsha believes that, from a deeper analysis, Zunyi's encounters also reflect the situation faced by the Chinese Navy in the context of normalized maritime competition. The Chinese Navy's ability to respond to the ongoing close reconnaissance and harassment by foreign military ships and aircraft in the South China Sea and surrounding waters is continuously improving. The Chinese Navy remains professional, legitimate, and reasonable in its responses, while the frequent reconnaissance and harassment actions by a few foreign countries' vessels and aircraft in the South China Sea also expose their aging equipment and insufficient system support, as well as the state of personnel and equipment fatigue faced by foreign military forces due to years of high-intensity confrontation.

The path of practical advancement for the 10,000-ton large destroyer

Since the commissioning of the first Type 055 10,000-ton destroyer Nanchang in January 2020, the number of publicly revealed 10,000-ton large destroyers in the Chinese Navy has increased to 10. From the former "model ship" Nanchang to the now stunning Zunyi, this new force continues to grow, constantly refreshing external perceptions of the Chinese Navy's long-range operational capabilities.

"Zunyi and Nanchang are both Type 055 10,000-ton guided missile destroyers, and their core positioning is completely consistent, both reflecting the Chinese Navy's transformation from near-sea defense to far-sea defense and the landmark achievements of system victory operational theory," Zhang Junsha believes. The early application of Nanchang focused on verifying the comprehensive combat capabilities of individual ships and the initial exploration of fleet command, while Zunyi has deeply integrated into the aircraft carrier battle group system, fully validated through over 200 days of realistic long-range exercises, joint exercises with multiple military branches, and aircraft carrier group drills. This indicates that the collaboration between the 10,000-ton large destroyer and the aircraft carrier has evolved from initial coordination to deep coupling, enabling efficient completion of long-range operational deployments and system confrontation operations in complex electronic environments.

"It can be said that the 10,000-ton large destroyer is not only a maritime fortress capable of independent operations but also a key node in the aircraft carrier battle group network. Through data links, it integrates multi-dimensional information from air, space, sea, and underwater, achieving one-way transparency of battlefield situations and coordinated strikes. This also marks the comprehensive maturity of the naval joint operational system," Zhang Junsha analyzed. "The description of Zunyi's deep integration into the aircraft carrier battle group system operations is a full realization of the system operational concept established by Nanchang in practical combat, further concretizing and deepening the practical application and system collaboration maturity of the Type 055 10,000-ton destroyer."