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Warships are the mainstay of a country’s fleet. Photo/Reuters
WASHINGTON – A country’s military strength is often associated with its Navy fleet. That is what makes many countries vying to produce warships to be the best on the battlefield.
The world always reflects that the United States (US) has the best fleet of warships. However, the US itself is a headache because they have to think about China’s growing fleet of warships. Why? Some experts estimate China could build three warships in the time it takes the US to build one.
For this reason, the US also invited its alliance to produce warships. It is South Korea and Japan that produce several warships with the highest specifications. Few military experts say countries are buying ships from South Korea and Japan as a cost-effective way to close the gap with China.
“Their warships are definitely a match for their (Chinese) counterparts,” said Blake Herzinger, a researcher at the Center for US Studies in Australia, reported by CNN.
“Japanese warship designers are among the best in the world,” said Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center in Hawaii.
Here are the 6 best warships in the world.
1. Type 055, China
Photo/Reuters
The Pentagon estimates China’s navy has about 340 warships currently, while the US has less than 300. It estimates China’s fleet will grow to 400 in the next two years, while the US fleet will take until 2045 to reach 350.
But it’s not just China’s extensive naval expansion that is cause for concern. Some of the ships that China manufactures have arguably greater firepower than some of the US ships.
Weighing 12,000 to 13,000 tons, the Type 055 is larger than a typical destroyer (closer in size to the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers). The ship has 112 vertical launch system (VLS) cells that fire surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles. The proud thing is that the ship has a sophisticated radio system and an anti-submarine weapons system.
2. Sejong the Great, South Korea
Photo/Reuters
The Sejong the Great, priced at around $925 million each, are the pride of the South Korean fleet.
“With this one ship, (the South Korean Navy) can cope with several simultaneous situations – anti-aircraft, anti-ship, anti-submarine, anti-surface – and defend against ballistic missiles,” said South Korea’s Defense Media Agency.
