Key Points and Summary – China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy is rapidly expanding into a true blue-water force built for power projection and deterrence, with Taiwan foremost in mind.
-The CATOBAR Type 003 Fujian carrier promises higher sortie rates and heavier loads than ski-jump predecessors.
Type 093B Submarine from China. Image Credit: Screengrab.
-Type 055 destroyers, with 112 VLS cells, form high-end escorts, while new Type 054B frigates add multi-mission coverage and signature reduction.
-Beyond surface combatants, mobile piers, LHD/LHA amphibs, and advanced landing systems strengthen invasion logistics.
-Growing use of drones and loyal wingmen, plus a modernizing submarine arm and replenishment fleet, underpins sustained, far-sea operations and alters regional calculations and posture.
China’s Fleet: The State of the People’s Liberation Army Navy
With an eye toward power projection—and possibly Taiwan—China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is expanding in size and capability.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy is rapidly expanding its capabilities, broadening the types of warships that make up the fleet, and enhancing the capabilities of the PLAN through the introduction of true blue-water naval assets. Not content to ply the home waters near to shore, PLAN ships increasingly seem intent on projecting Beijing’s power to far-distant waters—and sustaining that power projection via sufficient ship tonnage.
Although some commentators have called the aircraft carrier an obsolete platform—a relic of the Second World War—the People’s Liberation Army Navy seems to think differently, doubling down on aircraft carrier building, as well as the destroyers, submarines, and auxiliaries necessary for protecting and sustaining a carrier.
Type 003 Fujian Aircraft Carrier
Perhaps the most notable addition to the People’s Liberation Army Navy is the Type 003 Fujian, a CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) aircraft carrier. The Fujian, unlike previous PLAN carriers, is a true blue-water, expeditionary aircraft carrier capable of supporting a large air wing of dozens of fixed-wing aircraft plus helicopters.
Compared to earlier PLAN carriers, the Type 003 is likely to have a higher sortie generation rate, with faster aircraft launch resets, improved launch and recovery capabilities, and higher tempo operations. The PLAN’s previous carriers were ski-jump carriers, and as such could not launch aircraft as heavily loaded as the Type 003. And while not a nuclear-powered carrier like those of the United States Navy, the Fujian’s ability to project farther from China’s shores for extended periods is clear.
China Nuclear Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Type 076 China Amphibious Assault Ship. Image Credit: Chinese Social Media.
But this is also a signaling project. Given the carrier’s size and capabilities, it assumes a deterrent role for the People’s Liberation Army Navy, even without launching aircraft in anger. For China’s neighbors in the region, the Type 003 serves as both a diplomatic tool and an instrument of geopolitical influence, altering the calculus of its neighbors.
Type 055 Destroyer
Complimenting the Fujian and other aircraft carriers within the People’s Liberation Army Navy is the Type 055 destroyer, a guided missile destroyer with stealth characteristics. The destroyer adheres closely to a multi-mission design, capable of conducting anti-submarine warfare as well as providing air defense.
The class, if plans continue, will comprise sixteen hulls in total, and they will serve as the primary escort for the Fujian and other PLAN aircraft carriers. They will broadly fill the same roles as the U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
Alongside PLAN aircraft carriers, the Type 055 will be the backbone of PLAN Carrier Strike Groups. The destroyer’s Vertical Launch System (VLS) capability, in particular, is a key strength of the Type 055: 112 VLS cells capable of launching a wide variety of munitions, including area defense, land strike, and anti-ship weaponry.
Jiangkai III class
Earlier this year, the People’s Liberation Army Navy commissioned the first of the multipurpose Type 054B frigates, also known as the Jiangkai III class.
“Displacing 5,000 to 6,000 tons, the Jiangkai III class is thought to measure around 482 feet long with a 59-foot beam,” an explainer published by the U.S. Naval Institute says. “Crew size is estimated to be around 240. The Type 054B is significantly larger than its predecessor frigates,” but most importantly, “the design reveals a greater emphasis on signature reduction.”
The frigates are multi-role and fulfill multiple operational requirements, including serving as a cruiser and carrier escort, providing convoy support, offering an air defense umbrella, and acting as a littoral or expeditionary ship escort.
Mobile Piers and Advanced Landing Systems
Newly designed mobile pieces and amphibious shipping assets increase the PLAN’s ability to stage and launch large amphibious assault lifts in littoral waters. Landing heavy equipment, including tanks, other armored vehicles, and troops, is no easy task, but it is of critical importance for an amphibious assault on Taiwan.
“According to Chinese military academic papers,” the Financial Times writes, “the PLA would target ports and airports in the event of an invasion of Taiwan to allow it to bring in troops and materiel. Amphibious beach landings would be necessary if that approach failed or fell short, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers would be needed to conquer and control the island.”
Postscript
These warships provide evidence of three interconnected operational trends of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Firstly, the PLAN is extending its blue-water power projection capabilities. In particular, larger, more capable aircraft carriers, supported by a growing destroyer force and a broader base of replenishment ships, aid this objective.
Secondly, the People’s Liberation Army Navy has improved amphibious ships, including mobile piers and enhanced landing capabilities, as well as more LHD and LHA-type vessels, all of which contribute to expeditionary objectives. Lastly, drone carriers, Loyal Wingman-type aircraft, and the ships that support them enable distributed, attritable, and unmanned operations.
In conjunction with these assets, the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s expanding undersea deterrent, as embodied by the PLAN’s submarine force, contributes to a navy that is increasingly capable of projecting power far from China’s shores and sustaining that presence.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
More Miliary
The U.S. Navy’s Constellation-Class Crisis Boiled Down to 4 Words
The F-20 Tigershark Light Fighter Boiled Down to 4 Words
China Claims New J-35 Stealth Fighter Is ‘Invisible’
The 5 Greatest U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Of All Time
The Navy’s New Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers Can’t Hide All The Problems Anymore
