Well, sixty-two (62) LA Class nuclear attack submarines (SSN) were built over a 20 year period. The newest one, the USS Cheyenne, SSN-773 was commissioned in 1996 and is now 18 years old. The oldest four were commissioned in 1981 (making them 33 years old now) and they are planned to serve until 2017.093 is the the LA SSN of China.
They were built in three flights, the last being what is known as the 688i, or Improved Los Angeles Class.
Twenty two of those boats are still in service along with another 18 earlier boats, for 40 altogether.
The LA Class boats (which have been constantly improved on) are still considered state of the art and are very capable and dangerous SSNs, particularly the last 22 vessels.
How many TYpe 093s are there? Some people say four or five. And the PLAN has already moved on to the Type 095...which rumor has it the first of that class may be commissioned and become active in 2015.
Let's face it, the Type 093 is a transitionary design for the Chinese. And understandably so. It is allowing the PLAN to make progress in their design and gain valuable experience with decent, usable (mening regaularly deployable) SSNs.
But it is not a proven design that the PLAN is comfortable with building a lot of, or making that level of vessel what they build for twenty years or anything close to it.
Once the PLAN settles on a very modern and capable SSN design, and then builds, say...twenty of them, or even twelve...over a ten to fifteen year period, making that design its mainstay...then, IMHO, you may say that relatively speaking whatever class that will be the LA Class of the PLAN.
Will that be the Type 095? We just do not know at this point.
But that is simply my own opinion for the reasons I just enumerated.
