Military
This Country Has Tons of Submarines, but It's Only 36th Strongest Military on Earth
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Submarines are a key part of the world’s strongest militaries, but what country is really on top when it comes to submarine warfare?
To determine the country with the most military submarines, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed GlobalFirePower, an annually updated website tracking defense-related statistics of 145 nations. Countries were ranked by the number of military submarines in active service, and only countries with four or more submarines were considered for the list. We also added the GlobalFirePower PowerIndex score, which denotes a country’s overall military strength, with lower scores indicating greater power. We included supplemental information regarding the total naval fleet size per country and the types of submarines in each fleet.
Why We Are Covering This
America’s military vehicles are some of the most effective in the world. The U.S. is home to a huge fleet of warcraft, including tanks, aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and modern submarines, perhaps the most impressive of these American vessels. The U.S.A. continues to enhance its submersibles, most recently with its next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia (SSN 774). Along with numerous features, this formidable sub boasts an optimal layout and two photonics masts with infrared cameras.
Here is a look at the countries with the most military submarines.
30. Peru
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 69 – #43 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.8475 – #53 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209/1200-class
29. Chile
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 130 – #24 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.8128 – #52 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Scorpene-class, U-209-class
28. Colombia
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 237 – #12 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.7347 – #44 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209/1200, Type 206
27. Canada
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 67 – #47 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3813 – #27 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Victoria-class
26. Taiwan
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 93 – #39 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3302 – #24 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Guppy-class, Hai Lung-class
25. Indonesia
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 333 – #6 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2251 – #13 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Cakra-class, Nagapasa-class
24. Brazil
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 134 – #22 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1944 – #12 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Tupi-class, Scorpene-class
23. Sweden
- Number of submarines in active service: 5
- Total naval fleet size: 353 – #5 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4009 – #29 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Abborren-class, Hajen-class
22. Israel
- Number of submarines in active service: 5
- Total naval fleet size: 67 – #46 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2596 – #17 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Dolphin-class, AIP Dolphin 2 class
21. Norway
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 25 – #71 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5664 – #41 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Ula-class
20. Algeria
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 213 – #14 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3589 – #26 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Project 636, Project 877
19. Vietnam
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 97 – #37 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3158 – #22 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class
18. Germany
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 64 – #49 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2847 – #19 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Type 212-class
17. Australia
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 43 – #59 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2515 – #16 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Collins-class
16. Singapore
- Number of submarines in active service: 7
- Total naval fleet size: 43 – #58 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4087 – #30 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Archer-class, Challenger-class
15. Egypt
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 140 – #21 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2283 – #15 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Romeo-class, Type 209-class
14. Italy
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 309 – #7 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1863 – #10 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Todaro-class, Sauro-class
13. Pakistan
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 114 – #31 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1711 – #9 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Agosta 90-class, Agosta 70-class, Cosmos-class
12. France
- Number of submarines in active service: 9
- Total naval fleet size: 128 – #25 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1878 – #11 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Rubis-class, Barracuda-class, Triomphant-class
11. United Kingdom
- Number of submarines in active service: 10
- Total naval fleet size: 117 – #29 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1443 – #6 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Vanguard-class, Astute-class, Trafalgar-class
10. Greece
- Number of submarines in active service: 11
- Total naval fleet size: 187 – #17 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4349 – #32 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Glavkos-class, Poseidon-class, Okeanos-class, Papanikolis-class
9. Turkey
- Number of submarines in active service: 12
- Total naval fleet size: 186 – #18 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1697 – #8 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Atilay-class, Preveze-class, Gur-class
8. India
- Number of submarines in active service: 18
- Total naval fleet size: 294 – #8 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1023 – #4 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Arihant-class, Kalvari-class, Singhughosh-class, Shishumar-class
7. Iran
- Number of submarines in active service: 19
- Total naval fleet size: 101 – #36 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2269 – #14 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class, Fateh-class, Ghadir-class
6. South Korea
- Number of submarines in active service: 22
- Total naval fleet size: 200 – #15 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1416 – #5 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Sohn Wonyil-class, Chang Bogo-class
5. Japan
- Number of submarines in active service: 23
- Total naval fleet size: 155 – #20 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1601 – #7 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Taigei-class, Soryu-class, Oyashio-class
4. North Korea
- Number of submarines in active service: 35
- Total naval fleet size: 505 – #3 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5313 – #36 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Simpo-class, Sango-class, Yono-class, Type 033-class
3. China
- Number of submarines in active service: 61
- Total naval fleet size: 730 – #2 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0706 – #3 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Jin-class, Shang-class, Han-class, Yuan-class
2. United States
- Number of submarines in active service: 64
- Total naval fleet size: 472 – #4 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0699 – #1 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Ohio-class, Seawolf-class, Los Angeles-class, Virginia-class
1. Russia
- Number of submarines in active service: 65
- Total naval fleet size: 781 – #1 out of 145
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0702 – #2 most powerful out of 145
- Submarines in fleet: Typhoon-class, Borey-class, Victor-class, Akula-class
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