Friday, May 01, 2026
Photos of the Day: PLAN’s 155 mm Advanced Gun System Heads to Sea Trials
A May Day surprise? If so, the PLAN definitely has a sense of humor.
Back
on February 18th, 2025, when photos first surfaced showing a new 155 mm
gun mount installed on a Type 909‑series test ship, it was clear that
sea trials could begin at any moment. Fast‑forward to May 1st and sure
enough, she’s out at sea.
The appearance of this system marks
another step in the PLAN’s ongoing push to modernize its naval gun
technology. While details remain limited, one unconfirmed report
suggests the gun may be a 43‑caliber design. As always, until official
information emerges, it’s best treated as an early datapoint rather than
a firm specification.
Regardless, the fact that the system has
moved from pier‑side installation to open‑water testing is noteworthy.
The Type 909 test ships have long been the PLAN’s workhorses for
evaluating new sensors, weapons, and combat systems, so seeing a major
new gun system aboard one is a strong indicator that development is
progressing.
More photos and details will no doubt surface as sea
trials continues, but for now, the May Day timing adds a bit of extra
flair to an already interesting milestone.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
PLAN's new 155mm naval gun is now mounted
photos from a PLAN test ship indicates that the new 155 mm naval gun system is approaching formal evaluation.
Sunday, August 17, 2025
A closer look: PLAN's 155mm naval gun
Recent imagery circulating on Chinese defense forums suggests the
People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is moving ahead with deployment of a
155 mm naval gun system. In concept and role similar that of US Navy’s
Advanced Gun System (AGS), optimized for delivering sustained, precision
fire in support of amphibious and coastal operations.
Looking at
the following photos below indicates the weapon is likely to be
integrated into an upcoming guided‑missile destroyer (DDG) class. Of
course, there's no surprise that PLAN intent to enhance long‑range naval
gunfire support (NGFS) capabilities, leveraging larger‑caliber
munitions for improved reach, payload flexibility, and shore bombardment
effectiveness to an island somewhere east of China.
The adoption of 155 mm naval artillery could:
- Expanded land‑attack portfolio alongside missile systems.
- Interoperability potential with advanced guided projectile tech.
- Doctrinal shift toward sustained fire support in joint operations.
Reassured, we will be seeing it onboard of a PLAN vessel soon
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
New PLAN Development Of The Day: 155mm Naval Guided Missile Gun
As of today, the heaviest naval combatant under the PLAN command is the Type055 DDG, sporting a H/PJ-38 130mm naval gun, the same H/PJ-38 also found on the type Type 052D. Reading the plaque, this new "155 mm Naval Guided Missile Gun" was freshly minted in March 2025 (this month) by the State Factory 447 weighting in 21800 Kg.
The next logical set of questions are:
1) Retrofiring the Type055 from 130mm to this new 155mm?
2) A new class of PLAN "heavy" is under consideration?
Both 1 and 2?











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