Expansion of China Navy in the last decade

Last updated on July 5, 2025

Chinese shipyards have altered the global naval balance during the last decade. In 2015 the Office of Naval Intelligence counted 255 battle-force vessels in the People's Liberation Army Navy. By mid 2024 the US Department of Defense estimated more than 370 hulls and projected close to 400 in 2025. The PLAN therefore expanded by roughly half within ten years while modernising most of its inventory. This rise supports Beijing's stated aim of fielding a "world-class" force by 2049.

Fleet Size and Structure

Battle-force growth did not follow random lines. Major surface combatants increased from about 95 modern units in 2015 to more than 140 in 2024, and auxiliary and amphibious ships almost doubled. Meanwhile older single-purpose craft were retired, leaving a fleet weighted toward multirole designs. Production rhythms remain rapid because three large coastal complexes can launch a destroyer or frigate every few weeks. Numerical expansion therefore coincided with a marked rise in average displacement and weapons density.

Aircraft Carrier Force

A single training carrier, Liaoning, formed the core of China's sea-based aviation in 2015. The first indigenous carrier, Shandong, entered service in 2019 and has since conducted extended cruises that included a July 2025 port call in Hong Kong. The third unit, Fujian, began sea trials in May 2024 and has already completed multiple sorties while testing electromagnetic catapults. Open sources and satellite imagery indicate design work on a nuclear-powered follow-on hull, though commissioning lies several years away. Together these projects reflect a transition from experimental capability to routine fixed-wing group operations.

Surface Combatants

Production of large surface combatants accelerated after 2015. Ten Type 055 cruisers are in various stages of fitting out, each carrying 112 vertical launch cells. More than thirty Type 052D and 052DL destroyers provide area-air-defence cover, and deliveries of the enlarged Type 052E variant are expected to continue. At the frigate level, the PLAN commissioned its first Type 054B (Jiangkai III) in January 2025; this design adds a dual-face rotating radar and larger helicopter deck. Mass production of corvettes slowed after the fleet obtained over 70 Type 056 units, indicating a shift toward blue-water tasks.

Submarine Force

China's under-sea inventory grew more slowly than its surface fleet but improved in quality. In 2015 ONI credited the PLAN with 5 nuclear attack boats, 4 ballistic-missile boats, and 57 diesel or AIP boats. The 2024 Pentagon report lists 6 SSN, 6 SSBN, and 48 diesel/AIP units, with 65 hulls forecast for 2025. The third generation Type 095 SSN is believed to be under construction, while batch production of Type 039C/D YUAN-class AIP boats continues. Ballistic-missile readiness improved as six Type 094 SSBNs achieved routine patrol status armed with JL-2 missiles.

Amphibious and Expeditionary Assets

In 2015 the largest amphibious units were four Type 071 LPDs. Since then three Type 075 landing-helicopter docks have entered service and a fourth is on sea trials; each displaces about 40,000 tons and carries helicopters plus air-cushion craft. Imagery from Hudong-Zhonghua shows the first Type 076 under construction with an electromagnetic launch track designed for unmanned air vehicles. These ships, together with an expanded marine corps, signal preparations for over-the-horizon landing operations beyond the littoral.

Industrial Capacity and Logistics

China's commercial yards hold the world's largest share of civilian shipbuilding, and the same facilities build naval hulls on modular production lines. Auxiliary tonnage keeps pace: the FUCHI-class replenishment force grew from five ships in 2015 to eleven by 2025, and new large tankers are on order. Overseas support also advanced. The first permanent PLA Navy base opened in Djibouti in 2017, offering pier space and maintenance for Gulf of Aden task groups. Expansion work financed by Beijing at Cambodia's Ream naval base since 2022 provides an additional logistics node near the Strait of Malacca.

Operations and Presence

Regular counter-piracy rotations in the Western Indian Ocean have continued without interruption since 2008. Carrier group training moved beyond the First Island Chain, with Shandong conducting three Philippine Sea deployments in 2023 alone. Surface action groups of destroyers and frigates now enter the Bering Sea, Central Pacific and Tasman Sea on annual voyages. These patrols demonstrate an operational doctrine that has shifted from "near-seas defence" toward "far-seas protection".

The Central Military Commission issued a Joint Operations Outline in 2020 that emphasises networked fires and systems destruction. PLAN aviators train with shipborne catapult launches, and naval infantry brigades exercise with integrated helicopter and hovercraft inserts. Ship and missile sensors migrated to active electronically scanned arrays, while the YJ-18 family of cruise missiles replaced legacy C-802 types. Training cycles now feature multi-week blue-water deployments that test logistics chains and joint command nodes.

Outlook

Pentagon projections anticipate a fleet of roughly 435 battle-force ships by 2030 if current building rates persist. Large surface combatants will exceed 170 units, and a fourth carrier may commission within the same window. Submarine growth will rely on new nuclear production halls coming online at Huludao. Whether these gains translate into sustained global reach will depend on crew proficiency, logistics access, and the resilience of China's maritime economy during crises.