China Overtakes U.S. In Nuclear Submarine Launches As U.S Shipbuilding Lags Behind

China is rapidly expanding its maritime influence across the globe. It is making strategic investments in ports and maritime infrastructure, and most importantly, producing more ships annually.

Nobody can beat the Chinese when it comes to being on schedule. This has been proven yet again by a report published recently by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The report states that Beijing has launched more nuclear submarines than the U.S in the last 5 years, from 2021 to 2025.

China is ahead both in numbers and total displacement, which is measured in metric tonnes.

This trend has worried Washington, and it is trying to keep up by awarding new contracts to companies specialising in autonomous vessels.

The U.S Navy is planning to build a decentralised fleet wherein big warships would be supported by these new autonomous, unmanned vessels, which are being built on previously successful designs to speed up the production process.

Nonetheless, China’s growing naval fleet raises concerns about the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in contested waters like the South China Sea, where China is also building artificial islands and claiming many reefs as being a part of its territory.

China Launches More Submarines Than Any Other Country

Chinese shipyards do not reveal detailed fleet numbers in the public domain; the report titled Boomtime at Bohai has taken data based on satellite images of the shipyards to estimate their output annually.

China launched 10 nuclear submarines totalling 79,000 metric tons between 2021 and 2025, compared to the U.S which launched 7 in the same period, totalling about 55,000 metric tons.

This is in sharp contrast to the output China achieved between 2016 and 2020, when it launched just 3 subs totalling 23,000 metric tons, while the U.S launched 7 boats totalling 61,200 tons.

At the beginning of 2025, China operated 12 nuclear submarines, including 6 ballistic missile submarines and 6 guided missile or attack submarines. The US operates 65 submarines in total, including 14 ballistic missile boats.

China also has 46 conventionally powered submarines, while the US has none.

Expansion of Chinese Shipyards

China has been modernising and expanding its facilities to produce more ships. One such facility that recently transformed was the Huludao shipyard, operated by Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co.

This facility in northern China got refurbished with new construction yards and dedicated areas for nuclear submarine production.

Two Type 094 ballistic missile submarines were launched from this shipyard. They can accommodate nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers.

China is also building, what it claims is a next-generation boat with the most advanced tech ever. Called ‘Type-096’, its production is expected to commence at Bohai in this decade, and it will likely enter service in the early 2030s.

China has also launched 6 guided-missile submarines with vertical launch systems that can fire high-speed anti-ship missiles. The subs, built over the past 5 years, were exhibited during the country’s Victory Day parade in Beijing last year.

U.S Struggles To Keep Pace With China

The U.S. is faced with production delays, a consequence of labour shortages, supply chain issues, and a lack of sufficient infrastructural capacities, not to forget the internal political problems and naval budget allocations.

A report from the Congressional Research Service stated that the Navy fell short of its aim of constructing two Virginia-class attack submarines every year.

From 2022 onwards, U.S shipyards have delivered just 1 to 1.2 submarines per year.

Columbia Class Submarines

The U.S is also building the Columbia-class submarine, with the first one in the series, the USS District of Columbia, expected in 2028, a year behind schedule.

Despite US shortcomings in building new hulls rapidly, the report highlighted limitations of Chinese design, which it said lacks in terms of quality compared to European and American vessels.

The U.S Situation

Though the U.S. possesses the latest tech, it faces a dip in the number of naval vessels. Per reports, American attack submarine strength will fall to 47 boats by 2030 as older Los Angeles-class submarines retire.

Navy Secretary John Phelan said that U.S shipbuilding faces many issues at every stage, right from planning to execution. He called the programs a ‘mess’.

He added that their best project is 6 months behind schedule and 57% over budget.

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