Who Would Win? USS Decatur Vs. Lanzhou
Categories: Military, News
Earlier this week the Chinese destroyer Lanzhou acted like a giant asshole and almost rammed into the USS Decatur. Obviously, right out of the gate, we want to say that had this turned into an actual shooting war, we definitely want to side with the USS Decatur against the Chinese destroyer, the Lanzhou. How do they really measure up though? Well, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that the United States has in service are some pretty potent weapons platforms. The Lanzhou, well, this is probably the first you’re hearing of them, so let’s get to it.
Fire Power Winner: USS Decatur
The main threat from the USS Decatur comes from its 90 missile cells carrying a vast array of surface-to-air, anti-ship or cruise missiles. That assortment and diverse strike capability alone throw the USS Decatur up there on the weapons capability versus the much less armed Chinese destroyer with room for only 56 missiles, most of them anti-air… One might think that when it comes to naval ships you might want to be able to you know…engage the enemy ships. The Chinese destroyer does have one 100mm cannon as opposed to the 5 inch gun on the Decatur, but couple the VLS of the Decatur and the diverse array of missiles available to load into those vertical launch system cells and the Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers…call it an even draw on the torpedo armament.
The Decatur has an extreme advantage in firepower.
Survivability Winner: USS Decatur
Here’s why we’re gonna go with the Decatur. Do you guys remember when the USS Cole was bombed? Big ass explosion, killed 17 American sailors, wounded 39…the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer took a massive blow and while it obviously needed repairs, it didn’t sink to old Davy Jones locker. It took a massive hit and was still floating. We imagine in a combat scenario, that the sailors would continue to put up a stiff resistance until their ship either depleted every last bit of its ammo or it was sent to the bottom. The Chinese destroyers, while we’re sure they can take a punch, we haven’t seen exactly what they can handle. Maybe the bomb that hit the Cole would have sunk a Chinese ship, we don’t know. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are pretty tough ships and we all know the rumors about Chinese steel…
Range Winner: USS Decatur
So there are relatively no specs out on the Chinese radar/sonar systems. However, we do know a little bit about the radar/sonar systems of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers such as the USS Decatur. They are stupid ridiculous impressive, not only can we launch our weapons first, but we can see their missiles inbound with more than enough time to get our CIWS on target and destroy their meager attempts to attack our ships.
Right now the United States Navy is the proverbial Poseidon. Even when other nations think they have a leg up on us, there is something to be said for the longevity with which the United States of America has ruled the seas.
The Lanzhou stood literally zero chance against the USS Decatur and is quite lucky they didn’t get sent to the bottom of the ocean. It would most likely have ended extremely poorly for them.
Although I agree with you that US Aegis destroyer like the Decatur has more armaments, your assessment of the Lanzhou is not entirely correct. To begin, the Lanzhou has 64 VLS, not 56. Also the Chinese VLS has a larger diameter than US VLS which means it can carry bigger missiles. The Chinese VLS can also be quad-packed, meaning 4 missiles per VLS canister. Also, your assessment that Lanzhou is primarily an air defense ship vs the Decatur is also wrong, the Chinese VLS system is similar to US VLS, so it can carry not just SAMs, but also anti ship missiles, cruise missiles, as well as anti sub missiles. In fact, in a balanced load out, she can carry, 48 mid-range SAMs quad-packed, 32 long range SAMs, 12 antiship missiles, and 8 cruise missiles or anti sub missiles.. They also have 24 tube short ranged RAM missile defense and 6-tube torpedo launcher along with a huge gun. All told, the Lanzhou’s armament is equivalent to the Decatur. If you want to judge, make sure your info is correct.
That is not the info we saw as we researched. If you’d be willing to provide your resources, we’d be happy to update the article to reflect correct specifications.
Steve, you’ve been mistaking the Type 052D destroyer for the Lanzhou, which is a Type 052C destroyer.