US, China and Japan racing for the super-battleship lead

In a race similar to the Anglo-German naval buildup before World War I, the US, Japan and China are gearing up to build large, heavily armed missile warships for a potential climactic showdown at sea.

Cruisers typically are the largest, most heavily armed non-carrier major surface combatants, substantially larger and heavier than destroyers or frigates. They can serve as a flagship for surface action groups (SAG) or as a command center for fleet air defense.

While only the US and Russia currently operate warships formally classed as cruisers, some ships officially classed as destroyers have similar sizes and capabilities.

This month, Naval News reported that US defense contractor Lockheed Martin showcased a model of Japan’s advanced AEGIS System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) at the IDEX in Abu Dhabi.

Set to become the world’s largest stealth-guided missile destroyer outside the US Zumwalt class, Japan’s ASEV will significantly strengthen its ballistic missile defense capabilities.

At 190 meters and over 14,000 tons, ASEV surpasses China’s Type 055 destroyer (classed as a cruiser by NATO) on many measures with AN/SPY-7 AESA radar, 128 vertical launch system (VLS) cells, Glide Phase Interceptors (GPI) for hypersonic threats and Tomahawk missiles.

As regional tensions rise, delivery is expected by 2028, underscoring Japan’s strategic shift from land-based systems to counter China and North Korea’s evolving threats.

As with Japan’s ASEVs, the US Navy’s DDG(X) advanced guided-missile destroyer program is progressing in the concept design phase, The War Zone reported in January 2025.

The DDG(X) is envisioned to replace the US Navy’s aging Ticonderoga-class cruisers, which are increasingly uneconomical to maintain with their limited