Chinese Navy to Prioritize Nuclear Subs, Aircraft Carriers, C4ISR

The Chinese Navy will focus on building nuclear submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles, an aircraft carrier fleet and command, control and communication assets as part of its medium term plans.

Despite rapid development of new equipment, The Peoples Liberation Army’s Navy (PLAN) “still lags far behind modernized naval giants in the world and its development speed is far from sufficient considering the fast expansion of maritime security interests and economic interests”, rear admiral Yin Zhuo, director of Chinese Navy Information Technology Advisory Committee, was quoted as saying by China Military Online, an official Chinese military publication.

Interestingly, the article quoted international media to claim that the PLAN has 40 vessels either under construction or recently commissioned. “Despite that foreign media may be hyping up ‘China Threat’, the impressive development of the PLAN is undeniable”, the publication asserted.

The report nevertheless confirmed that the design for Chinese 052C and 052D destroyers, hailed as the China Aegis (after the US navy’s  ship based command and control system), has been finalized. Many difficult technical bottlenecks have been broken and mass production is expected, it said.

Further quoting rear admiral Yin Zhuo the report said that the PLAN’s development of equipment shall focus on the following aspects in future. Improve composite electronic information, focus on development of aircraft carrier fleet and develop nuclear submarines.

China’s naval information level still lags behind western countries, and information-based combat forces including satellite, AEW (Airborne Early Warning Aircraft), electronic reconnaissance aircraft, electromagnetic interference aircraft, and anti-submarine patrol aircraft, will become priority for development.