The US Navy has long held a missile tube advantage over China. AdvertisementThe People's Liberation Army Navy now has over half the number of missile tubes, or VLS cells, for launching missiles that US Navy surface combatants have. A warship's VLS cells can carry a range of missiles, from air-defense interceptors to anti-ship missiles to land-attack weaponry. Related storiesNewer Chinese ships, like the capable Renhai-class destroyers with 112 VLS cells, are coming off the line at speed. AdvertisementWhile the number of missile tubes provides insight into a navy's warfighting capabilities, maritime combat is not entirely determined by a navy's VLS capacity.

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Persons: IISS, Johannes Fischbach, Beijing's, Jonathan Organizations: US Navy, Liberation Army Navy, Department of Defense, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, PLAN, International Institute for Strategic Studies, IISS, Pentagon Locations: China, Beijing, America, Red, Yemen