Pla Navy News

The Nanchang, China's first Type 055 guided missile destroyer, will soon be put into commission in the People's Liberation Army Navy, a spokesperson said.China plans to have a fleet of 8 Type 055 destroyers, its most powerful naval vessel which was showcased during the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s 70th anniversary on Tuesday in Qingdao.Long expected by Chinese military enthusiasts, the Nanchang, China's first Type 055 destroyer, which is painted with the hull number 101, was part of the destroyer group.President Xi Jinping reviewed the major naval parade which further had the direct participation of nearly a dozen regional navies, including Japan, Australia, and the Philippines.

* China still lags U.S. BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The PLA Navy is likely to secure significant new funding in China's upcoming defence budget as Beijing seeks to check U.S. dominance of the high seas and step up its own projection of power around the globe. China's navy has been taking an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and new Chinese warships popping up in far-flung places. Now, with President Donald Trump promising a U.S. shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.

The global submarine battery market to grow at a CAGR of 5.28% during the period 2016-2020, says Global Submarine Battery Market 2016-2020 report by Research and Markets. Global Submarine Battery Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the report considers the total number of submarines, segmentation by submarine type and average unit price. Increased demand from China will be a key trend for market growth. China's demand for submarines has been growing owing to the country's Taiwan dilemma.

Three Chinese naval vessels have arrived at a US Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville,  in the US state of Florida, reports Xinhua. The "goodwill" visit will help build trust and increase understanding, according to the Mayport Public Affairs Office. Their friendly visit is part of a world tour showcasing the advances in China's maritime capabilities. It comes at a time of tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea, but it is aimed at uniting rather than dividing. The trip itinerary includes visiting each other's ships, attending cultural events around the area and participating in Mayport's fall sports week. The Jinan missile destroyer…

The U.S. Destroyer Squadron 15 DDGs have operated in the South China Sea since August 2013, the Navy said, adding that it has performed safe interactions with People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels at sea, courteous radio conversations and prudent ship handling during these patrols, establishing U.S. commitment to maritime security and informing Chinese counterparts that the U.S. Navy intends to operate freely in international waters. "It is a unique opportunity for Lassen to read about U.S.

The perception that Indian Ocean is India's "backyard" may result in clashes, Chinese military officials and experts have cautioned. The Indian Ocean cannot be a backyard of India which navies of other countries could not visit, according the Chinese ministry of defence said. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy expands its profile in the Indian Ocean with recent submarine visits to Sri Lanka and more recently Pakistan. Chinese officials rejects India's concerns by emphasizing its motivations were driven by trade and security and not aimed at India, although with one important caveat: it would be a mistake for New Delhi to consider the ocean's international waters as "its backyard".

Amid increasing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region, Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan said that Indian Navy “minutely” monitors the activities of its Chinese counterpart in the region, reports PTI. Underlining that India's maritime resources are directly linked to country's economy, Dhowan said the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships have been deployed in anti-piracy operations in Indian Ocean since 2008 along with some submarines. "PLA Navy's activities are minutely monitored by Indian Navy and our belief is that the responsibility of protecting Indian Ocean and our coastline lies with the Navy. Our ships, aircraft carriers are always on alert so that our security is maintained," he said.

China has outlined a first ever "white paper" on military strategy that outlined a more robust posture for its blue-water navy, and warned of threats to its security from "still smouldering" boundary disputes over land. The paper comes a day after an editorial (link in Chinese) in the state-run Chinese tabloid Global Times said conflict between China and the US will be unavoidable if the Washington doesn’t lay off Beijing for building islands and military facilities in disputed parts of the South China Sea. The white paper, released in Beijing by the State Council, or Cabinet, Information Office, is the first ever dedicated to China's military strategy, and the ninth defence paper issued by the People's Liberation Army.

Russian “joint maritime -2015 (1)” today (May 11) officially launched a joint military exercise, the exercise will continue until 21 May, reports Chinese state news agency Xinhua. It is the first time the two countries have held joint military exercises in the area and will also the furthest conducted by PLA Navy vessels from their home ports, although the scale of the drills is limited. China has deployed three ships and two shipboard helicopters for the exercises, led by the Russian Navy. Russia has sent six vessels to the exercises that conclude on May 21. The total aggregate Russian joint military exercise led by the organization’s nine surface ships, mainly around maintaining the high seas exercises safety issue, because based in the Mediterranean and attract outside attention.

The U.S. military commander for Asia warned that, China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, according to a report in Reuters. Admiral Samuel Locklear described as aggressive the land reclamation and construction projects China has been conducting at eight military outposts in the South China Sea. Locklear said the artificial islands planned by China will provide the nation with basing and resupply for its large fleet of maritime security vessels and the country would be able to deploy missiles and radar on the islands.

Two analysts claimed yesterday that China is beefing up its credentials as a maritime force so that it can become a true superpower like the United States. According to prominent historian Wang Gungwu,  with the recent Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road proposals the country is setting up a maritime trading route and asserting claims in the South China Sea. “People talk about the US rebalancing towards Asia but it is just moving ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific. China is really rebalancing because it recognizes the importance of a balance between being a continental and naval power,” said Professor Wang said. “I found Professor Wang’s distinction between a maritime power and a continental power ...

China will soon be commissioning three new nuclear-powered attack submarines which will be the most advanced in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy to date. With the capability to fire supersonic anti-ship missiles, they will be China’s most advanced Type-093G attack submarines. China Central Television has aired satellite images showing the three submarines anchored at an unidentified port. The submarines are said to be an upgrade of the Type-093, which entered service several years ago and advancements include a longer teardrop hull and a vertical missile launching system. The new variant is engineered to reduce noise, improve speed and mobility and fire the latest YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missile, capable of causing significant damage to aircraft carriers.

Chinese officials have confirmed that the country is currently building a second aircraft carrier, say local media. The People’s Daily, the Communist party mouthpiece, quoted top officials as confirming the craft’s construction. The ship is reportedly being built in a shipyard in the northeastern city of Dalian, where China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, was refitted before going into service in 2012. Until now the military has tried to keep the second carrier a secret and at least two reports in Chinese media about the ship have been censored. The report also cited Ding Haichun, who was promoted to the position of deputy political commissioner of the PLA Navy back in January, as confirming that China’s second aircraft carrier is under construction.

Nothing escapes the constant vigilance of US surveillance activities near the Chinese coast and the Pacific First Island Chain which extends from Alaska to the Philippines, according to the Beijing Morning Post. A Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Bowditch is in charge of operations in the Asia-Pacific. It is also part of the Special Mission Ship program established to collect intelligence over the disputed South China Sea. The USNS Bowditch is described by the Chinese as the "vacuum of ocean intelligence." It is also equipped with ocean depth multi-beam and single-beam sonar systems. With intelligence provided by the USNS Bowditch, US nuclear-powered attack submarines are capable of intercepting PLA Navy submarines in the disputed waters.

China's military has at least three operational Type-094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, with each being capable of carrying 12 JL-2 missiles that have a range of 8,000 kilometers, says  an article published last week by the Russian Military Observer. By 2020, the Chinese military is projected to field at least four Type-094s and two next-generation Type-096 submarines, carrying around 80 sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and 250 to 300 nuclear-armed missiles, the report stated. China is working to build more warship destroyers in 2015, the Want China Times reported, citing Fujian-based Quanzhou Evening News. A massive number of Type 052 destroyers, China will particularly build a Type 052C ship and seven more Type 052D ships.

Two Australian Defense Force (ADF) medical officers have joined the Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) - Navy hospital ship Peace Ark on its medical assistance mission currently under way in the South Pacific. The deployment results from an invitation from the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Peoples’ Republic of China, General Fan Changlong, during his visit to Australia in July this year. From August 31 to September 11, the ADF medical officers will work closely…

China's first Type 056 stealth frigate delivered to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) in Shanghai. The new generation of frigate, which is about to be put into service on a large scale, features good stealth performance and electromagnetic compatibility, according to a news item in the PLA Daily reported by Xinhua. The new frigate requires only one-third of the crew needed by its predecessor, the Type 053, and it is expected to be deployed primarily for escort missions and anti-submarine operations, said the report.

A People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet has entered territorial waters in the South China Sea for patrol and training missions. Comprising the missile destroyer Qingdao and the missile frigates Yantai and Yancheng, the fleet entered the South China Sea after a five-hour passage through the Bashi Channel (between Taiwan and the Philippines' Luzon Island). The three ships, all from the North China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy, are scheduled to carry out patrol missions and multi-type training exercises in the South China Sea over the next few days.

A giant U.S.-led naval exercise began off Hawaii on Thursday with China joining its Asia-Pacific rivals for the first time, but analysts doubted the drills will ease tensions over Chinese maritime claims and some said Beijing could use them to strengthen its navy. Washington and its allies hope China's participation in the five-week Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises, involving 55 vessels, more than 200 aircraft and some 25,000 personnel from 22 countries, will build trust and help avert misunderstandings on the high seas that could escalate into crisis. But analysts say the maneuvers may only help Beijing strengthen its growing naval capability by observing the forces of the United States and its allies. Twenty-three nations had been expected to participate in RIMPAC this year.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's hospital ship, the 'Peace Ark', has set sail for a typhoon relief mission to the Philippines, reports Xinhua. The 300-bed ship with eight operating rooms sounded its horn as it set off from a navy port on Zhoushan island in east China's Zhejiang Province, and is expected to take three days to reach the devastated Samar Province in the Philippines. The medical team will conduct first aid and outpatient treatment and perform surgery and epidemic prevention.

From harassing Filipino fishing boats and monitoring oil exploration off Vietnam to playing cat-and-mouse with the Japanese coastguard, China's expanding fleet of civilian patrol vessels have become the enforcers in disputed Asian waters. The ships of the recently unified Chinese coastguard are a fixture around the disputed islands and shoals of the South and East China Seas. While the ships don't have the weaponry of military vessels, thus reducing the risk a confrontation could get out of control, they still represent a potent show of sovereignty.

From harassing Filipino fishing boats and monitoring oil exploration off Vietnam to playing cat-and-mouse with the Japanese coastguard, China's expanding fleet of civilian patrol vessels have become the enforcers in disputed Asian waters. The ships of the recently unified Chinese coastguard are a fixture around the disputed islands and shoals of the South and East China Seas. While the ships don't have the weaponry of military vessels, thus reducing the risk a confrontation could get out of control, they still represent a potent show of sovereignty. The coastguard is funded by China's State Oceanic Administration, a civilian body, although one U.S. naval officer and security experts said it coordinates its operations with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

China has successfully conducted a flight landing on its first aircraft carrier, the 'Liaoning'. The taking off and landing of the homegrown J-15 aircraft has sparked interest throughout the nation. The successful takeoff marked the carrier debut of the J-15. The J-15 is able to carry multi-type anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs. After its delivery to the PLA Navy on September 25th, the aircraft carrier has been undergoing a series of sailing and technical tests.