Firepower: U.S. Navy vs China’s Navy (PLAN)

Comparing the U.S. Navy to China’s Navy (PLAN) is a little tricky. While China has more ships, the U.S. Navy’s ships are larger so when comparing tonnage the U.S. Navy has an advantage over the PLAN. However, there is a better metric for gauging who will fare better in war and that’s by comparing raw firepower. When counting the number of Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells used for firing missiles, the U.S. appears to have the advantage. While the U.S. possesses approximately 9,900 VLS cells, the PLAN has only 4,200 VLS cells, but this will probably increase significantly in the coming years.