The world’s largest naval force continues to strengthen its fleet, this time adding a new class of nuclear-powered submarines. China has used the world’s most advanced dual-purpose shipbuilding industry to rapidly scale the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) fleet of increasingly advanced warships. And since adding its most advanced aircraft carrier in 2012 grabbed headlines, China’s submarine program could have major implications for its geopolitical ambitions.
Its reforms could move Beijing closer to building nuclear submarine fleets deployed by the US and Russia. Historically, China’s submarine fleet has lagged behind its rivals in both capability and numbers, fielding mostly noisy, diesel-electric strategic submarines. However, the reforms at Bohai Shipyard are surprisingly effective. Now, Beijing has overtaken Washington in submarine production. Still, China’s previous submarines pale in comparison to modern American subs.
First reported by Naval News in February 2026, satellite imagery has given Western observers a glimpse of the PLAN’s most advanced nuclear submarine. Dubbed the Type 095, the submarine is considered an upgrade over China’s previous class of subs, the Type 093B and Type 094. While little is known about Beijing’s highly secretive submarine procurement pipeline, experts believe it will arrange the Type 095 missile system, and extreme capabilities. Larger, more capable warships could make China’s first real challenge to US surface dominance. Possibly powered by improved hydrodynamic shaping techniques, the submarine will feature a larger hull, improved acoustics, larger subsystems, and a quieter propulsion system.
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A blurry but revealing image
A rare glimpse at a Type 093B nuclear submarine as it surfaces above open water. – Zhao DaShuai/X
Satellite images showed the submarine in the launch bay of Bohai Shipbuilding Yard. Observers initially believed it to be an upgraded version of China’s Type-093B, but the high waterline of the 110-meter-long submarine suggests a single or hybrid hull configuration and wider diameter. The results are a more spacious interior and a potential displacement of between 9,000 and 10,000 tons, making it the largest submarine in China’s fleet.
Although little is known about the submarine’s configuration, available reports suggest that the Type 095 will improve the PLAN’s subsurface capabilities. For example, experts believe the submarine will use a pump jet propeller to reduce its noise signature and avoid sonar detection. Since the submarine can further reduce noise during transit through hull-mounted dive planes, and its potential to include advanced acoustic technologies, such as sonar-fooling anechoic tiles and improved engine vibration isolation systems, some analysts believe the 095 will overcome Beijing’s submarine problems. To boot, the addition of an X-Tail rudder could increase underwater maneuverability, while its 200 MW natural circulation nuclear reactor could enable longer underwater missions.
Little is known about the submarine’s weapons system, although images show an unfinished space behind the sails, which could indicate a vertical launch system that could launch Beijing’s new YJ-19 hypersonic missile or the anti-ship ballistic YJ-20 missile, but that is uncertain. An alternative possibility is a weapon system called a tri-pack, which consists of three projectile cells in one tube. Some have suggested that the Type 095 will have eight torpedo tubes, with four slotted on either side of the bow, potentially creating space for a larger sonar system.
China’s subsurface future
The submarines stand above the US Seawolf submarine on the surface as it idles in the harbor. – Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
Experts predict that the 095 will primarily be used for underwater warfare against other nuclear submarines, such as the United States’ Seawolf subs. Although a VLS enables anti-ship and land attacks, Western strategists do not expect the 095 to be used as a cruise missile submarine. However, in the absence of proven design details, most predictions should be taken with a grain of salt. The upgrade signals Beijing’s expanding naval power.
Historically, China’s naval shipbuilders focused on small vessels to patrol the shallow coastal waters of the South China Sea—a focus that constrained its submarine fleet. Even during the current production boom, which has seen the plan grow to become the world’s largest navy in more than two decades, China has built only six nuclear submarines by 2022. However, the upgrade of its Bohai facility has significantly increased China’s subsurface shipbuilding capacity, which has launched nearly three nuclear submarines per year since February 2020. According to the Institute for Strategic Studies, China’s nuclear submarine production has now surpassed that of the US, rolling out 79,000 tonnes of displacement from 2021 to 2025, while the US has only 55,000 tonnes of displacement.
This increase in production coincides with the continued expansion of the PLAN’s naval ambitions, as China seeks to push its navy out of its immediate sphere of influence. The Type 095’s potential multi-operability can facilitate these goals, providing anti-ship defense, land attack, covert operations, and intelligence gathering capabilities to link with the PLAN’s expanding carrier and strategic strike groups. And although the U.S. subsurface fleet is still great, the widening production gap worries some. Still in development at Bohai, the Type 095 will be launched within the next year.
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