The world’s largest navy continues to strengthen its fleet, this time adding a new class of nuclear-powered submarines. China has tapped into the world’s most advanced multi-purpose shipbuilding industry to rapidly expand the size of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) increasingly advanced warship fleet. And while the addition of its most advanced aircraft carrier since 2012 has attracted attention, China’s submarine program could have a major impact on its geopolitical ambitions.
Its improvements could bring Beijing closer to building a nuclear submarine fleet comparable to those deployed by the United States and Russia. Historically, China’s submarine fleet has lagged behind its rivals in both capacity and numbers, largely fielding noisy diesel-electric tactical submarines. However, improvements to the Bohai shipyard have yielded surprising results. Now, Beijing has surpassed Washington in submarine production. However, China’s previous ships are still far inferior to modern US submarines.
First reported by Naval News in early February 2026, satellite imagery gave Western observers a glimpse of the PLAN’s most advanced nuclear submarine. Dubbed the Type 095, the submarine is said to be an upgrade over China’s previous submarine classes, specifically the Type 093B and Type 094. Although little is known about Beijing’s ultra-secret submarine procurement pipeline, with details on the Type 095’s missile system, torpedo layout and sonar capabilities extremely limited, experts believe this larger, more capable warship has could be China’s first real challenge to America’s underground dominance. Likely enhanced by improved hydrodynamic shaping techniques, the submarine will have a more massive hull, improved acoustics, larger subsystems and quieter propulsion systems.
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A gloomy but clear image
Rare image of the Type 093B nuclear submarine as it emerged in the open sea. – Zhao DaShuai/X
Satellite images show submarines at the Bohai shipyard’s launching yard. Observers initially believed it was an upgraded version of China’s Type-093B, but the 110-meter-long submarine’s high-water mark suggests a single or combined hull configuration and a wider diameter. The result is a more spacious interior and a capacity to displace between 9,000 and 10,000 tons, making it the largest submarine in the Chinese fleet.
Although little is known about the submarine’s configuration, available reports suggest that the Type 095 will improve the PLAN’s underwater capabilities. For example, experts believe submarines will use pump-jet propellers to reduce noise and avoid sonar detection. The submarine can further reduce noise during transit via hull-mounted submersibles and is likely to include advanced acoustic technologies, such as sonar anti-echo bricks and an improved engine vibration isolation system, leading some analysts to believe the 095 will overcome Beijing’s noisy submarine problem. To boot, the addition of an X-tail rudder could increase underwater maneuverability, while its 200-megawatt natural circulation nuclear reactor could allow for more extended underwater missions.
Little is known about the submarine’s weapons systems, although images show an unfinished void behind the sail, which could indicate a vertical launch system that could launch Beijing’s new YJ-19 hypersonic missile or YJ-20 anti-ship ballistic missile, but that is uncertain. An alternative possibility is a so-called three-pack weapon system, in which one tube contains three launch cells. Some have suggested that the Type 095 will have eight torpedo tubes, with four on either side of the bow, potentially creating space for a larger sonar system.
China’s underground future
Sailors stand on a floating US Seawolf submarine as it docks in port. – Smith Collection/gado/Getty Images
Experts predict that the 095 ship will be used mainly for underwater combat against other nuclear submarines, similar to the US Seawolf submarine. Although the VLS can carry out anti-ship and land attack attacks, Western strategists do not expect the 095 to be used as a cruise missile submarine. However, due to the lack of verifiable design details, most predictions are uncertain. This upgrade is a sign of Beijing’s expanding naval firepower.
Historically, China’s naval shipbuilders have focused on smaller vessels to patrol the shallow coastal waters of the South China Sea – a focus that has hampered the country’s submarine fleet. Even during the recent production boom, which saw the PLAN grow into the world’s largest navy in just over two decades, China built only six nuclear submarines by 2022. However, upgrades at the Bohai facility have significantly enhanced China’s submarine production capabilities, launching about three nuclear submarines per year from 2022. According to a February 2026 report by the Institute for War Studies International strategy, China’s nuclear submarine output has now surpassed that of the US, starting operations Displacement of 79,000 tons from 2021 to 2025, compared to only 55,000 for the US
This increase in production has been accompanied by a steady expansion of the PLAN’s naval ambitions, as China increasingly seeks to push its navy beyond its immediate zone of influence. The Type 095’s multi-mission capabilities could facilitate these objectives, providing anti-ship defense, land attack, covert operations, and intelligence gathering capabilities to incorporate the PLAN’s expanding carrier and tactical strike groups. And although America’s submarine fleet remains superior, the widening production gap has some concerned. Still under development at Bohai, the Type 095 will likely debut next year.
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