China on Sunday commissioned its first fourth generation guided-missile destroyer, which is expected to accompany aircraft carriers in new battle groups.
The warship named Nanchang was commissioned by People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the port city of Qingdao, official media reported.
Launched on June 28, 2017, the Type 055 destroyer is equipped with new air defence, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons.
The commissioning of Nanchang marks the Navy's leap from the third generation to the fourth generation of destroyers, a statement issued by PLAN said.
Having a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, the Type 055 is a 180-meter-long, 20-meter-wide guided missile destroyer with 112 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land-attack missiles and anti-submarine missiles.