PLAN Current Vessel Inventory Thread

[Franklin]

Best that i know of China's surface fleet. (I don't know about the submarine fleet.)

AC
1 Liaoning

LPD
3 Type 071

DDG (24 total)
3 Type 052C
2 Type 052B
2 Type 051C
1 Type 051B
2 Type 052
4 Sovs
10 Type 051 Luda

FFG (46 total)
13 Type 054A
2 Type 054
14 Type 053 Jiangwei
17 Type 053 Jianghu

OPV
50 - 70 Type 037

FAC
100+ Type 022

Ships now on order or under construction and on sea trial but not yet commissioned.

1 Type 071A LPD ?
6 Type 052D DDG
3 Type 052C DDG
7 Type 054A FFG
10 Type 056 OPV (36 rumored in total)

 

[Jeff Head]

Let's talk about what has been launched to date...all of them, including commissioned and those not yet commissioned.

PLAN SURFACE FLEET

Aircraft Carriers (1)
01 CV-16 Liaoning

Landing Platform Dock (3)
03 Type 071 Yuzhao

Landing Ship Tank (26)
09 Type 072 III Yuting II
10 Type 072 II Yuting
07 Type 072 Yukan

Guided missile Destroyers (30)
02 Type 052D Luyang III (?)
06 Type 052C Luyang II
02 Type 052B Luyang
02 Type 051C Luzhou
01 Type 051B Luhai
02 Type 052 Luhu
04 Proj. 956 Sovremenny
11 Type 051 Luda

Guided Missile Frigates (50)
17 Type 054A Jiankai II
02 Type 054 Jiankai
10 Type 053H3 Jiangwei II
04 Type 053H2G Jiangwei
17 Type 053 Jianghu

Offshore Patrol Vessels (90+)
10+ Type 056 Jiangdao
06 Type 037 II Houjian
24 Type 037 IG Houxin
20 Type 037 IS Haiqing
30 Type 037 Hainan

Fast Attack Craft (85+)
85+ Type 022 Houbei

Fleet Support/Replenishment (9)
02 Type 903A Taihu
02 Type 903 Qiandaohu
02 Fuqing
01 Fusu
02 Fuchi

TOTAL: 294 Principle Surface Types

PLAN SUBMARINE FLEET

Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarines (4)
03 Type 094 Jin
01 Type 091 Xia

Nuclear Attack Submarines (10)
04 Type 093+ Shang
02 Type 093 Shang
04 Type 091 Han

Diesel/Electric Submarines (56)
10 Type 039A/B Yuan
12 Proj. 6363/877 Kilo
16 Type 039G/G1 Song
18 Type 035 Ming

TOTAL: 70 Principle submarine types

TOTAL NAVY: 364 Principle Vessel Types

All together, there are only about 20 or so vessels of this group that are not commissioned. In addition, there are numerous vessels building that have not been launched yet.

Now, how many of these are more or less modern? Well, let's take out the following:

07 Type 072 Yukan LSTs
11 Type 051 Luda DDGs
04 Type 053H2G Jiangwei FFGs
17 Type 053 Jianghu FFGs
24 Type 037 IG Houxin OPV
20 Type 037 IS Haiqing OPV
30 Type 037 Hainan OPV
01 Type 091 Xia SSBN
04 Type 091 Han SSN
18 Type 035 Ming SSK

That's a total of 136 vessels, 113 surface and 23 submarines.

This leaves a modern Navy of roughly 228 vessels, of which 181 are surface and 47 are submarines.

 

[kwaigonegin]

Let's talk about what has been launched to date...all of them, including commissioned and those not yet commissioned.


Offshore Patrol Vessels (90+)
10+ Type 056 Jiangdao

Small correction. Houbei is the Type 22.

 

[luhai]

Let's talk about what has been launched to date...all of them, including commissioned and those not yet commissioned.

PLAN SURFACE FLEET

...

Offshore Patrol Vessels (90+)
10+ Type 056 Houbei
06 Type 037 II Houjian
24 Type 037 IG Houxin
20 Type 037 IS Haiqing
30 Type 037 Hainan

Fast Attack Craft (85+)
85+ Type 022

...

TOTAL: 294 Principle Surface Types

TOTAL NAVY: 364 Principle Vessel Types

All together, there are only about 20 or so vessels of this group that are not commissioned. In addition, there are numerous vessels building that have not been launched yet.

...
This leaves a modern Navy of roughly 228 vessels, of which 181 are surface and 47 are submarines.

I would not count Type 037 or Type 022 as Principle Surface vessels, even 056 would be a borderline case.

Without 022 and 037 it would leave PLAN with 119 Principle Surface vessels and 189 Principle vessels total, of which 128 are modern (81 modern surface and 47 are submarines). This picture, I believe is far more realistic.

 

[Jeff Head]

I would not count Type 037 or Type 022 as Principle Surface vessels, even 056 would be a borderline case.

Without 022 and 037 it would leave PLAN with 119 Principle Surface vessels and 189 Principle vessels total, of which 128 are modern (81 modern surface and 47 are submarines). This picture, I believe is far more realistic.

I agree...but the thread had been including them, so in that context and precedent, I also included them.

 

[SampanViking]

Given that any foreseeable conflict scenario involving the PLAN will be in the near abroad of East and South China Seas, I would say that the inclusion of these smaller craft is justified in the figures.
In any such conflict both Type 022 and Type 056 would undoubtedly be used. The 056 is a standard warship and its use goes without saying. The 022 may be simply a boat, but it is fast, stealthy and any contingent fleet, able to add up to 700 AShM to the equation, should most definitely not be discounted.

 

[HKSDU]

The modernization program has been impressive but still has good decade to go for the Navy.

Destroyers 58% conversion to modernized, leaving 13 to be replaced. I can see most if not all of the 13 to be replaced by Type 052D.

Frigate 38% conversion to modernized, leaving 31 to be replaced. I don't see the next generation to replace all 31 (Type 054B), but most likely will replace 2/3 of the remaining 31, before the follow on of the Type 054B to replace the rest.

While the speed in which the shipyards cranking these modern vessels out are impressive. Only 48% of the Destroyer & Frigate conversion program to modernization for PLA navy has been achieved. This has been achieved in 12-13 year span, so I see that it will take another decade for the PLA navy to have a complete modern naval force.

Diesel Electric Submarine 68% conversion to modernized, leaving 18 to be replaced.


Guided missile Destroyers (31)
03 Type 052D Luyang III
06 Type 052C Luyang II
02 Type 052B Luyang
02 Type 051C Luzhou
01 Type 051B Luhai
02 Type 052 Luhu
04 Proj. 956 Sovremenny
11 Type 051 Luda

Guided Missile Frigates (50)
17 Type 054A Jiankai II
02 Type 054 Jiankai
10 Type 053H3 Jiangwei II
04 Type 053H2G Jiangwei
17 Type 053 Jianghu


Diesel/Electric Submarines (56)
10 Type 039A/B Yuan
12 Proj. 6363/877 Kilo
16 Type 039G/G1 Song
18 Type 035 Ming

 

[Totoro]

there is little reason to retire ships before their hulls and major subsystems (like propulsion) can't take it anymore. Which means we'll be seeing 053 class for some time, save for a possible garage sale to other agencies and countries. six 053h1g, comissioned mid 90s, are likely to remain is service by 2025 or so, if there's no sale to other users. Same with four 053h2g. ten 053h3, comissioned in late 90s so mid 2000s will likely serve to 2030, perhaps 2035.

Lets also keep in mind that by 2030 the sovremennys, 051b, 051c, song class, some kilos etc will be by most accounts old tech, in dire need for replacement.

i really wonder what will happen with sovremennys over time. they don't really fit, and as time progresses and their strong points diminish in the greater context of modernday PLAN, there will be less and less reasons for PLAN to keep them as they are, even if some are just 10 years old. I see a pretty thorough overhaul for them in store, with all the exsoviet systems changed with domestic systems. But that also might prove not so cost effective, especially cause of old propulsion which would be too expensive to replace. Perhaps we could see a sale of those sovs to someone else instead of mid life moderniation effort, which could happen within 5-10 years time.

 

[Jeff Head]

there is little reason to retire ships before their hulls and major subsystems (like propulsion) can't take it anymore. Which means we'll be seeing 053 class for some time, save for a possible garage sale to other agencies and countries. six 053h1g, comissioned mid 90s, are likely to remain is service by 2025 or so, if there's no sale to other users. Same with four 053h2g. ten 053h3, comissioned in late 90s so mid 2000s will likely serve to 2030, perhaps 2035.

Lets also keep in mind that by 2030 the sovremennys, 051b, 051c, song class, some kilos etc will be by most accounts old tech, in dire need for replacement.

i really wonder what will happen with sovremennys over time. they don't really fit, and as time progresses and their strong points diminish in the greater context of modernday PLAN, there will be less and less reasons for PLAN to keep them as they are, even if some are just 10 years old. I see a pretty thorough overhaul for them in store, with all the exsoviet systems changed with domestic systems.

The Sovs will probably not be changed. Their systems are still very effective and they are still very potent surface combatants and will be for the next 20 years.

And, let's not forget, in essence there are six Sovs because the Type 052B vessels are very, very similar in their load out and function. In essence, IMHO, the Type 052B was the PLAN's Sov.

So you have six vessels, all of them still relatively new, and all of them packing a very significant capability. I see them remaining in service...with improvements to their sensors and some weapons as they are available...for at least another 20 years.

 

[Totoro]

I've looked at the period from 2000 to 2015 (since today we can pretty accuaretly tell what will be comissioned by 2015) and counted new ships being put into service.

I used those figures and made an approximation, or a projection of sorts for PLAN's ship list in 2025. Each new ship meant retirement of an old ship. With carriers i just had to take it for granted that more would be built as there werent any prior to today. It's not a precise approximation but i don't think it's too far off the mark. some may say ther's way too few 052d/055 ships but since i used the average value from 15 years, not just the last 5 or so years, then overall output of new destroyers seems limited. Let's just call it a cautious list.

2-3 a/c carriers (Liaoning plus one or two domestic ones)
38 054a class and its sucessor
2 054 class
40-55 056 class (with such small ships being built so fast it's hard to tell when they will stop being built. 55 ships would mean all of the improved 037 class ships would be replaced with 056 on ship for ship basis)

13 052d and 055 class ships.
6 052c ships
possibly 0 to 2 053h3 frigates left.
2 052 ships
1 051b
2 052b
4 sovremennys
2 051c

Plus of course type 022, other small vessels, various amphibious assault assets, all sorts of non combat ships, submarines etc.