China Adds New, High-Tech “SHANG III” Attack Submarines For “Clandestine” Missions & Land Attack

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The People’s Liberation Army – Navy has more attack submarines than the US Navy, is fast-tracking production of more, launching a new SHANG III class of boats and adding several of the new guided-missile nuclear-attack submarines in the short term.

The concern is articulated in the Pentagon’s annual China report, called the Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, which states that the PLA Navy will have three new hulls of this class by 2025.

The most significant element of these new submarines, the Pentagon report explains, likely pertains to its quieting technologies and potential to conduct clandestine missions.

“This new SHANG-class variant will enhance the PLAN’s anti-surface warfare capability and could provide a clandestine land-attack option if equipped with land-attack cruise missiles,” the Pentagon report says.

China Has More Attack Submarines Than the US Navy

According to 2023 military assessments published by GlobalFirepower.com, China has 78 submarines, 10 more than the US Navy, a likely reason why US Navy leaders have been working with Congress for many years now to massively scale up attack submarine production. The concern among Navy leaders and prominent members of Congress has been that Los Angeles-class submarines are retiring much faster than Virginia-class submarines can be built, leading may to express concern about a US Navy attack submarine deficit. This deficit has been expected to grow in the immediate years ahead, a key reason why Navy weapons developers have been working closely with members of Congress and the industrial base to essentially “flex” production to help close the US Navy’s attack submarine deficit.

Several years ago, the Navy conducted and industrial base assessment which did indeed determine that industry has the capacity to expand and potentially build one more Virginia class attack submarine per year than was previously planned. Sure enough, both General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII have scaled production capacity to a large extent to accommodate the Navy demand. The demand is significant, as for many years Navy combatant commander requests for attack submarines has exceeded available supply.