China now has more than 60 subs in its navy, including nine that are nuclear-powered, according to the Pentagon's annual overview last year.
Its mainstay boats are diesel-powered Song-class vessels, but it also is developing more advanced nuclear-powered attack and ballistic submarines, including the Jin class that would carry missiles with a range of 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers). Nuclear-powered subs can operate longer submerged than their diesel counterparts.
China has a long way to go to match the U.S. Navy _ the advanced Jin subs, for example, would have to be well into the Japan Sea for the continental United States to be within their range.
Here's a link http://www.newser.com/article/d9sbumb80/us-faces-challenge-as-asian-submarine-fleets-swell-sending-battle-for-control-underwater.html
Jim has been posting some interesting and pertinent articles, and some have asked for links to more info. While I don't know where Jim is getting his excellent open-source intel, here are links to some related sites I read regularly.
I read this today, another synopsis of Chinese submarine growth:
http://www.informationdissemination.net/2012/02/plan-conventional-submarine-fleet.html#disqus_thread
That site (http://www.informationdissemination.net) is a wealth of information on Navy matters.
Also,
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/
For military matters in general
http://nosint.blogspot.com/
More Navy-specific news
http://thesubreport.blogspot.com/
Submarine specific news
Just thought I'd add that to this thread for any who may not know about those sites and find them entertaining, as I do!
