China is accelerating the construction of attack submarines, narrowing the gap with the United States.
The Chinese Navy launched five attack submarines in the first half of this year, according to a report by the French media outlet Le Figaro on July 20. This estimate is based on satellite imagery analysis rather than an official announcement from China.
Among the five submarines, two are of the 093B class. Once these two are commissioned, the Chinese Navy will operate a total of eight 093B nuclear submarines. One of the five is a 095 class submarine, while the remaining two are believed to be a new, undisclosed model known as the 095A class.
China had six attack submarines in operation at the beginning of 2020. As the country enhances its submarine construction capabilities, it is rapidly increasing its fleet size. If all five submarines are commissioned, China will have a total of 14 attack submarines. The report predicts that this number could rise to 17 within the next one to two years.
The United States currently operates about 49 attack submarines, followed by Russia with 17. This positions China as the third-largest operator of attack submarines in the world, ahead of the United Kingdom and France, each with six.
While China is quickly closing the gap with the U.S. in terms of the number of attack submarines, analysts suggest that the U.S. still maintains a significant advantage, particularly in areas such as stealth, crew proficiency, and combat experience. Consequently, it is believed that China will deploy its attack submarines in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Second Island Chain rather than in distant waters.
Meanwhile, the Chinese People's Liberation Army announced that on July 6, a strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a submarine-launched strategic missile equipped with a simulated warhead in international waters of the Pacific, hitting its designated target. Although the Chinese military did not disclose the specifications of the missile, The New York Times speculated that it was likely the JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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