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Beijing is known for keeping quiet about its military hardware. But in\u00a0footage aired on January 29, 2026, via CCTV<\/a>, China’s main state broadcaster, the Yanan \u2014 a\u00a0Type 055 guided-missile destroyer\u00a0\u2013 was shown off in full display. The 27-minute clip showed the ship firing electronic jamming missiles during what was officially described as an encounter with foreign aircraft near Taiwan. Now, showing off military hardware in action publicly is unusual for China. But admitting to specific confrontations happening in those particular waters is even rarer.<\/p>\n Type 055s are\u00a0roughly 11,000-ton warships that China officially classifies as guided-missile destroyers. They are one of the most advanced weapons in China’s military arsenal<\/a> and are far from your average warships. Western analysts\u00a0often bump their classification up to “cruiser” because of their sheer size and all the firepower packed into them. Each one of these carries\u00a0112 vertical launch cells loaded with a mix of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and potentially even hypersonic weapons. They stretch to\u00a0over 590 feet long and can hit 30 knots, which is fast for something that weighs about as much as a small office building.\u00a0Fleet numbers are expanding rapidly, compared to those of the US Navy destroyers<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the\u00a0footage, the Yanan’s crew spots what appear to be multiple groups of aircraft shifting direction nearby. A sailor on watch calls out orders to prepare the starboard side, and from there, the ship\u00a0cranks its radar systems up to high power, which effectively helps widen its search range. But the Yanan doesn’t just go it alone from that point on.<\/p>\n