The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy celebrated its 70th anniversary Tuesday afternoon in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province by holding a grand maritime parade, which featured China's latest and most powerful destroyer, the Type 055, for the first time.

Making its first public appearance at the PLA Navy’s 70th anniversary parade, the Type 055 destroyer ‘Nanchang’ displaces over 10,000 tonnes and carries 112 vertical launch cells for anti-air, anti-ship, land-attack and ASW missiles.

Compared to China's previous destroyers, the Type 055 destroyer can see farther with its active electronically scanned array radar system and deal with targets faster, acting as an information centre in a fleet.

The Type 055 can act as a heavily armed escort for aircraft carriers. Two Type 055s plus a submarine and some smaller destroyers and frigates will form an aircraft carrier combat group.

Having a displacement of more than 10,000 tons, the Type 055 is a 180-meter-long, 20-meter-wide guided missile destroyer with a 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, according to media reports.