The Chinese Navy is moving toward an all-nuclear-powered submarine fleet, U.S. naval officials say, a monumental shift that will give ammunition to proponents of Japan developing its own nuclear subs — at least on the surface.
The U.S. Navy’s intelligence chief, Rear Adm. Mike Brookes recently revealed during testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that the Chinese Navy “is executing a significant strategic shift from diesel-electric to all-nuclear construction, representing a fundamental departure from historical construction” of its submarines.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already has one of the world’s largest submarine fleets, with more than 60 vessels, but this force is made up mostly of diesel-electric subs, with at least 14 nuclear-powered vessels, according to Brookes.
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