On February 17, CNN Japan reported that a new report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a renowned UK think tank, shows that China has significantly accelerated the production and launching of nuclear submarines in the past five years, with its construction speed surpassing the long-standing advantage of the United States. This change is gradually undermining the US's maritime military hegemony that has lasted for decades. Meanwhile, the US Navy's own construction difficulties and declining combat capabilities have placed it in an unprecedentedly severe situation. This report, based on satellite image monitoring and data calculations, comprehensively compares the scale, speed, and current status of nuclear submarine development between China and the United States, reflecting the profound changes taking place in the global maritime military power structure.
The IISS report clearly states that the People's Liberation Army Navy's nuclear submarine expansion plan covers two core types: ballistic missile nuclear submarines and attack nuclear submarines, forming a comprehensive and large-scale development trend. Among them, during the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, the core data comparing the newly built nuclear submarines between China and the United States showed a clear trend of mutual decline and gain: China launched a total of 10 nuclear submarines, with a combined displacement of 79,000 tons; while the United States launched only 7 nuclear submarines during the same period, with a total displacement of 55,500 tons. China achieved a breakthrough over the United States in both quantity and total tonnage. It is worth noting that the data calculation in this report mainly relies on satellite image analysis of Chinese shipyards. Since the Chinese government has not publicly disclosed the specific scale and equipment details of the navy fleet, these data are still reasonable estimates by the think tank, but they are sufficient to reflect the rapid momentum of China's nuclear submarine construction.
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7607769133333119523/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.