2000000 soldiers, 3300 aircraft, 700 warships...: Is China's PLA the world's most powerful military force? Tension for India, US because...

India.com

6 days ago

China's PLA is the largest standing army in the world. (File)
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), which marked its 98th anniversary on Friday, has emerged as one of the most powerful militaries in the world in recent years, boasting an estimated 20 lakh active soldiers, who are aided by state-of-the-art weapons technology, most of which is now homegrown. How powerful is the Chinese PLA?
According to various experts, the PLA is estimated to have about 20 to 22 lakh active soldiers, making it the largest standing army in the world. China's world's largest ground force includes thousands of tanks, artillery and heavy armored brigades. As per the Global Fire Power Index, China has an estimated 6800 tanks (5440 active), which includes 2750 rocket artillery, and 3490 heavy armored units.
Additionally, Beijing is rapidly upgrading the PLA ground force with robotic and artificial intelligence capabilities. and recent restructuring has replaced the traditional heavy battalions with a more agile brigade-based structure, who are capable of rapid action and mobilization in wake of any potential border conflict. What about the Chinese air force?
Many experts believe that China has arguably laid more focus on transforming the Chinese Air Force aka the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) into one of the most competent air forces on the planet, especially due to the Beijing's focus on developing advanced indigenous fighter jets over the past decade.
The PLAAF has a fleet of about 3300 military aircraft, including advanced 4th gen, 4.5 gen and 5th gen fighter jets, transport aircraft, military helicopters and special missions aircraft. Currently, the PLAAF is regarded as one of the most technologically advanced air forces in the world, boasting large fleets of 4.5 generation fighter jets such as the J-10, as well as two different types of 5th-generation stealth aircraft, the J-20 and J-35.
Additionally, China is also actively developing the J-36, its first 6th generation fighter jet, and has augmented its air force with network sensing warfare and space warfare capabilities.
Further, China also has advanced indigenously-developed air defense system, including the state-of-the-art HQ-29 missile system, which can reportedly intercept hypersonic missiles. How much power does the Chinese Navy have?
The Chinese Navy aka the PLA Navy (PLAN) is the largest in the world, overtaking the United States in the total number of warships. According to the Global Fire Power Index, the Chinese Navy has an estimated 730 warships, including three aircraft carriers, 61 submarines, as well as dozens of destroyers and frigates.
The PLAN is considered a Blue Water Navy, which means its has the capability to operate in waters around the world. Where does China's military power rank globally?
As per the Global Fire Power Index-2025, China's PLA is ranked third among 145 countries, but experts believe that the China is world's second largest military power after the US, followed by Russia in the third spot and India at fourth.
According to reports, China has a defense budget of $267 billion ($314 billion as per some estimates), which is orders of magnitude larger than India's $75 billion defense budget.