People's Liberation Army Navy

The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or PLA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLAN can trace its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese Civil War and was established during the September, 1950. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s the Soviet Union provided assistance to the PLAN in the form of naval advisers and export of equipment and technology. Until the late 1980s, the PLAN was largely a riverine and littoral force (brown-water navy). However by the 1990s, following the fall of the Soviet Union and a shift towards more out-looking attitudes, leaders were freed from worrying over land border disputes, and instead turned its attention towards the seas. This led to the development of the People's Liberation Army Navy into the green-water navy it is today. Before the 1990s the PLAN had traditionally played a subordinate role to the People's Liberation Army Ground Force.

In 2008, General Qian Lihua confirmed that China plans to operate a small fleet of aircraft carriers in the near future, but for the purpose of regional defence as opposed to "global reach". As of 2013 PLA officials have also outlined plans to operate in the first and second island chains. Chinese strategists term the development of the PLAN from a green-water navy into "a regional blue-water defensive and offensive navy."

The People's Liberation Army Navy is composed of five branches; the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force, the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, the People's Liberation Army Navy Coastal Defense Force, the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps and the People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force. With a personnel strength of 290,000 servicemen and women, including 12,000 marines and 35,000 naval air force personnel, it is the second largest navy in the world, behind only the United States Navy. PLAN assets include one aircraft carrier, three amphibious transport docks, 26 destroyers, 45 frigates, 62 submarines (of which 11 are nuclear-powered), eight corvettes, 122 missile boats, 231 patrol vessels, 107 mine countermeasures vessels, five replenishment oilers and a large fleet of smaller auxiliary vessels.

List of Active Vessels

 * Admiral Kuznetsov-class Aircraft Carrier (1) - 2012
 * CNS Liaoning (16)
 * Type 071 Amphibious Transport Dock (3) - 2007
 * CNS Changbai Shan (989)
 * CNS Kunlun Shan (998)
 * CNS Jinggang Shann (999)
 * Type 051 Destroyer (10) - 1971
 * CNS Xining (108)
 * CNS Kaifeng (109)
 * CNS Dalian (110)
 * CNS Hefei (132)
 * CNS Chongqing (133)
 * CNS Zunyi (134)
 * CNS Nanchang (163)
 * CNS Guilin (164)
 * CNS Zhanjiang (165)
 * CNS Zhuhai (166)
 * Type 052 Destroyer (2) - 1994
 * CNS Harbin (112)
 * CNS Qingdao (113)
 * Type 051B Destroyer (1) - 1998
 * CNS Shenzhen (167)
 * Sovremenny-class Destroyer (4) - 2001
 * CNS Hangzhou (136)
 * CNS Fuzhou (137)
 * CNS Taizhou (138)
 * CNS Ningbo (139)
 * Type 052B Destroyer (2) - 2004
 * CNS Guangzhou (168)
 * CNS Wuhan (169)
 * Type 053H2G Frigate (4) - 1992
 * CNS Anqing (539)
 * CNS Huainan (540)
 * CNS Huaibei (541)
 * CNS Tongling (542)
 * Type 053H3 Frigate (10) - 1998
 * CNS Jiaxing (521)
 * CNS Lianyungang (522)
 * CNS Putian (523)
 * CNS Sanming (524)
 * CNS Luoyang (527)
 * CNS Mianyang (528)
 * CNS Yichang (564)
 * CNS Sanya (565)
 * CNS Yuxi (566)
 * CNS Xiangtan (567)
 * Type 052B Destroyer (2) - 2004
 * CNS Guangzhou (168)
 * CNS Wuhan (169)
 * Type 052C Destroyer (6) - 2004
 * CNS Lanzhou (170)
 * CNS Haikou (171)
 * CNS Changchun (172)
 * CNS Zhengzhou (173)
 * CNS ''Jinan (174)
 * CNS Xi'an (175)
 * Type 052D Destroyer (8 UC) - 2015
 * CNS Kunming (176)
 * CNS Changsha (177)
 * CNS Guiyang (178)
 * CNS Chengdu (179)
 * CNS Hefei (180)
 * CNS Nanjing (181)
 * CNS Yinchuan (182)
 * CNS Taiyuan (183)
 * Type 054 Frigate (2) - 2005
 * CNS Ma'anshan (525)
 * CNS Wenzhou (526)
 * Type 051C Destroyer (2) - 2006
 * CNS Shenyang (115)
 * CNS Shijiazhuang (116)
 * Type 054A Frigate (15, 5 UC) - 2008
 * CNS Zhoushan (529)
 * CNS Xuzhou (530)
 * CNS Yantai (538)
 * CNS Yancheng (546)
 * CNS Linyi (547)
 * CNS Yiyang (548)
 * CNS Changzhou (549)
 * CNS Weifang (550)
 * CNS Hengyang (568)
 * CNS Yulin (569)
 * CNS Huangshan (570)
 * CNS Yuncheng (571)
 * CNS Hengshui (572)
 * CNS Liuzhou (573)
 * CNS Shaoyang (574)
 * Type 037-II Missile Boat (6) - 1991
 * CNS Yangjiang (770)
 * CNS Shunde (771)
 * CNS Nanhai (772)
 * CNS Panyu (773)
 * CNS Lianjiang (774)
 * CNS Xinhui (775)
 * Type 022 Missile Boat (83) - 2004
 * Type 091 Nuclear Attack Submarine (5) - 1974
 * CNS 401
 * CNS 402
 * CNS 403
 * CNS 404
 * CNS 405
 * Type 092 Ballistic Missile Submarine (2) - 1981
 * CNS 406
 * CNS 407
 * Type 039 Hunter Killer Submarine (16) - 1988
 * CNS 314
 * CNS 315
 * CNS 316
 * CNS 317
 * CNS 318
 * CNS 319
 * CNS 320
 * CNS 321
 * CNS 322
 * CNS 323
 * CNS 324
 * CNS 325
 * CNS 326
 * CNS 327
 * CNS 328
 * CNS 329
 * Kilo I-class Submarine (2) - 1994
 * CNS 364
 * CNS 365
 * Kilo II-class Hunter Killer Submarine (10) - 1997
 * CNS 366
 * CNS 367
 * CNS 368
 * CNS 369
 * CNS 370
 * CNS 371
 * CNS 372
 * CNS 373
 * CNS 374
 * CNS 375
 * Type 041 Hunter Killer Submarine (7) - 2008
 * CNS 376
 * CNS 377
 * CNS 378
 * CNS 379
 * CNS 380
 * CNS 381
 * CNS 382
 * Type 094 Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarines (6) - 2010
 * CNS 408
 * CNS 409
 * CNS 410
 * CNS 411
 * CNS 412
 * CNS 413
 * Type 093 Nuclear Attack Submarine (8) - 2013
 * CNS 414
 * CNS 415
 * CNS 416
 * CNS 417
 * CNS 418
 * CNS 419
 * CNS 420
 * CNS 421