World’s Largest Submarine Builders: The 212CD’s Twelve-Boat Wall and MİLDEN’s First Step (2026)
Asking who builds the world’s submarines means looking behind the defense industry’s most closed door: no platform has a narrower export market, a longer build cycle or a higher barrier to entry. In the nuclear league the race is a duopoly of nations — America’s General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News run the Virginia and Columbia classes simultaneously, while France’s Naval Group hands over Suffren-class boats one after another. The conventional (diesel-electric) market has a German leader: tkMS’s Type 212CD program has reached its planned maximum of twelve boats on German and Norwegian orders. The Asian challenge is Korean here too — Hanwha Ocean’s KSS-III stands alongside the 212CD on Canada’s shortlist for a program of up to twelve submarines. And Türkiye enters this table on two levels: Reis-class (Type 214TN) boats are joining the fleet one after another from Gölcük Naval Shipyard, and first steel has been cut on MİLDEN, the national submarine. Following our military helicopter manufacturers file, Envanter Medya compares the world’s submarine builders across program volume, order books, exports and technology.
Editorial note: This ranking is an editorial research product compiled by Envanter Medya from publicly available data; it is not an official international ranking. Sources and methodology are explained at the end.
The research at a glance
“Largest” by which measure?
The submarine market splits into two leagues. Nuclear-powered boats (SSN/SSBN) emerge from the yards of just five or six countries and are never exported; conventional (diesel-electric/AIP) submarines are the real export market, contested by Germany, France, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Japan — and now Türkiye. So “largest” depends on the league: nuclear builders lead on tonnage and budget, conventional builders on hull count and export geography. We measured both separately. Our naval shipbuilders file covers the surface fleet side.
The nuclear league: an Electric Boat–Newport News monopoly
Two American yards — General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News — form the world’s largest submarine industrial complex, running Virginia-class attack boats and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines simultaneously under multi-billion-dollar block contracts. AUKUS has added Australia as a customer on this line. In France, Naval Group is delivering Suffren (Barracuda) class nuclear attack boats in sequence — making two Western nations that effectively serial-produce nuclear submarines today. Britain’s BAE Systems builds for its own fleet (Astute/Dreadnought); no verifiable production data is published for the Chinese and Russian nuclear programs.
The conventional league: the 212CD’s twelve-boat wall
The fullest order book in the conventional market belongs to Germany’s tkMS. The Type 212CD program reached six boats for Germany when parliament approved four additional units in December 2024, and its planned maximum of twelve overall with Norway’s extension; first delivery comes in 2029. The company is also delivering Singapore’s Invincible class (Type 218SG) and signed the largest torpedo contract in its history for the 212CD fleet in December 2025. Rival Naval Group’s Scorpène family runs on lines in India (Kalvari), Brazil (Riachuelo) and Indonesia, and the Netherlands ordered its next-generation boats from Naval Group in 2024. In South Korea, Hanwha Ocean and HD HHI build the KSS-III — shortlisted alongside tkMS in August 2025 for Canada’s program of up to twelve boats, with both names also competing for Poland’s Orka. Spain’s Navantia is delivering the S-80 class; Sweden’s Saab Kockums is building the two-boat A26 Blekinge class; and Japan’s Mitsubishi and Kawasaki hold their steady one-boat-per-year Taigei cadence.
Ordered/under-construction hulls; options and programs still at tender (Canada 12, Poland 3) excluded. The Scorpène row is the approximate total of active export lines. The Turkish program is marked separately.
Verified programs, orders and deliveries
| Builder | Country | Classes | Verified program indicator | Data type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GD Electric Boat | USA | Virginia, Columbia | Building nuclear attack + ballistic missile submarines under block contracts; Australia added as customer via AUKUS | R |
| HII Newport News | USA | Virginia (joint) | Co-builder of the Virginia class; twin carrier-submarine yard | R |
| tkMS | Germany | 212CD, 214, 218SG, Dolphin | 212CD program at its 12-boat maximum (Germany 6 + Norway 6, first delivery 2029); Singapore 218SG deliveries; on Canada’s shortlist; record torpedo contract (December 2025) | R |
| Naval Group | France | Suffren, Scorpène | Suffren-class nuclear deliveries continuing; Scorpène: India 6 (+3 more decided), Brazil 4, Indonesia 2 (local build); won the Netherlands’ next-generation program | R |
| Hanwha Ocean + HD HHI | S. Korea | KSS-III | Nine-boat national program (3 batches); shortlisted for Canada’s up-to-12-boat tender (August 2025); Poland Orka candidate | R |
| Mitsubishi + Kawasaki | Japan | Taigei | Steady one-boat-per-year cadence; no exports | T |
| Navantia | Spain | S-80 | Four-boat program; lead boat Isaac Peral in service, deliveries continuing | R |
| Fincantieri | Italy | U212NFS | Four-boat program (2+2); tkMS design partnership | R |
| Saab Kockums | Sweden | A26 Blekinge | Two-boat program; schedule slipped to 2027-28; Poland candidate | R/T |
| Gölcük Shipyard / STM 🇹🇷 | Türkiye | Reis (214TN), MİLDEN | Six-boat Reis program: TCG Pirireis (2024) and Hızırreis in service, remaining boats following; first steel cut on the national submarine MİLDEN in January 2025; STM completed modernization of Pakistan’s 3 Agosta 90Bs | R |
| CSSC | China | Type 039/093/094/096 | Production data not published; Hangor-class exports to Pakistan continue | D (domestic) / T (export) |
| Sevmash/Admiralty | Russia | Borei, Yasen, Kilo | No reliable production data published since sanctions | D |
Data types: R = official/company statement, T = credible industry reporting, D = insufficient data. Nuclear program numbers are disclosed only in limited form; the table relies on public contract announcements.
By export geography: two European schools, one Korean wave
The Type 209 family is history’s most widely exported submarine design; the tkMS row includes that historical base (T label). The Türkiye row is STM’s completed Agosta 90B modernization program for Pakistan — a modernization export, not new-build hulls.
The Envanter Medya Composite Index: EM-GDPI
Nine criteria — production 25, revenue 15, exports 15, user countries 10, diversity 10, capacity 10, orders 5, technology 5, growth 5 — feed a 100-point editorial composite. CSSC and the Russian yards were not scored because their production data is not transparent — no data, no score. Nuclear and conventional builders appear in the same index with different strengths.
An editorial composite, not an official ranking. Fincantieri and Saab Kockums appear in the table but not the index chart due to narrow program volume; CSSC and Russian yards were not scored. The Turkish program is marked separately.
What the index says: Electric Boat leads on running the world’s highest-tonnage, highest-budget submarine line with two classes at once. Naval Group ranks second as the only builder exporting both nuclear know-how at home and conventional boats on three continents; tkMS is the conventional market’s historical leader with Europe’s fullest order book. Gölcük/STM’s 54 points reflect an active six-boat program, a completed modernization export and the step into the design league with MİLDEN — while the gap in production tempo and new-build exports remains plain.
Where does Türkiye stand?
Türkiye’s submarine story advances on two levels at Gölcük Naval Shipyard. The first is the Reis class: a six-boat program of Type 214TN air-independent-propulsion submarines. Lead boat TCG Pirireis joined the fleet in August 2024, followed by Hızırreis; the remaining boats are planned for delivery through 2029. The second level is the design threshold: first steel was cut on the national submarine MİLDEN in January 2025 — the step intended to move Türkiye from licensed builder to designer nation. A third data point completes the picture: STM has finished modernizing three Agosta 90B submarines for the Pakistan Navy — Turkish industry’s first submarine modernization export.
Where is Türkiye behind?
Let the data speak: the Reis class is a German-licensed design (Type 214TN), and Türkiye has yet to export a new-build submarine — a clear distance from the tkMS school’s 20-plus-country base and Naval Group’s three-continent Scorpène network. Nuclear propulsion is another league entirely and not on Türkiye’s agenda. Against that, three data points support optimism: the six-boat line gives Gölcük uninterrupted construction experience, MİLDEN is a live attempt at the design threshold, and the Pakistan program proved Turkish industry can export submarine work. Roketsan’s AKYA heavyweight torpedo and ASELSAN-HAVELSAN combat management systems are already filling MİLDEN’s domestic content chain.
How this research was prepared
Data year: Program and contract data from official announcements, January 2024 – August 2026. Scope: Twelve submarine builders; programs at tender (Canada, Poland) noted separately. Missing data: CSSC and Russian yard production counts, and nuclear program details, are not public and were not estimated. EM-GDPI: Nine criteria scored 0-10 and weighted; relative within the group and editorial.
| Builder | Data reliability | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tkMS, Naval Group, Hanwha/HHI, Navantia, Fincantieri, Gölcük/STM | A | Official program/contract announcements current |
| Electric Boat, HII, Mitsubishi/Kawasaki, Saab | B | Program data partly public; unit/schedule breakdown limited |
| CSSC, Sevmash/Admiralty | D | No reliable current data; excluded from the index |
Frequently asked questions
Which company is the world’s largest submarine builder?
By league: General Dynamics Electric Boat leads on tonnage and budget (Virginia + Columbia); tkMS leads the conventional market with the twelve-boat 212CD program and a 20-plus-country historical export base. Electric Boat tops the Envanter Medya composite index.
How many boats are in the Type 212CD program?
Twelve — the planned maximum: six for Germany (four additional boats approved in December 2024) and six for Norway. First delivery is due in 2029.
Which submarines is Canada considering?
Canada shortlisted two candidates in August 2025 for its program of up to twelve boats: Germany’s Type 212CD and South Korea’s KSS-III.
Where does Türkiye’s Reis class stand?
Lead boat TCG Pirireis joined the fleet in August 2024, followed by Hızırreis; the six-boat program runs through 2029. The boats are built at Gölcük Naval Shipyard.
What is MİLDEN?
MİLDEN is Türkiye’s national-design submarine program; first steel was cut in January 2025 at Gölcük. The aim is to move from licensed production (the Type 209/214 school) to indigenous design.
Has Türkiye exported submarines?
No new-build hulls yet — but STM completed the modernization of three Pakistan Navy Agosta 90Bs, Turkish industry’s first submarine modernization export.
Which countries build nuclear submarines?
The US, Russia, China, France, the UK and India build nuclear-powered submarines; under AUKUS, Australia will become the first non-nuclear-weapon state to acquire them. Nuclear boats are never exported as new builds — AUKUS is on course to be the first exception.
Who builds the KSS-III?
Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. Beyond the nine-boat national program, Canada’s shortlist and Poland’s Orka tender form its export front.
Where is the Scorpène built?
Naval Group’s Scorpène is license-built in India (Mazagon Dock, Kalvari class) and Brazil (Riachuelo class); Indonesia ordered two locally built Scorpène Evolved boats in 2024.
What is the most exported submarine design?
tkMS’s (HDW) Type 209 family — reaching more than twenty navies. Türkiye’s Atılay and Preveze/Gür classes belong to this family.
How many submarines do Russia and China build a year?
No reliable public data exists. This research declines to publish unverifiable figures; CSSC and the Russian yards were excluded from the index for that reason.
Are Türkiye’s submarine weapons indigenous?
Roketsan’s AKYA heavyweight torpedo is in serial production; ASELSAN and HAVELSAN supply sonar and combat management systems. See the Defense Atlas for platform profiles.
Sources and methodology notes
This study is an editorial research product prepared by Envanter Medya by cross-checking publicly available official company data, institutional reports, contract and delivery records and industry sources. Principal sources:
- Naval Today (December 2025) — the 212CD program reaching its twelve-boat maximum and the record torpedo contract
- Naval Technology — 212CD program structure, Germany’s four-boat add-on, 2029 delivery schedule
- GlobalSecurity — Canada’s shortlist (212CD vs KSS-III), Poland’s Orka race
- SSB official announcements — Reis-class deliveries, MİLDEN first steel cut
- STM official data — Pakistan Agosta 90B modernization program
- SIPRI Top 100 Fact Sheet (December 2025) — 2024 defense revenues
Last updated: August 24, 2026. This is a living research page, updated as delivery and contract announcements arrive. The next file in the series examines the world’s largest artillery system manufacturers. For the full series, see the 2026 Global Defense Industry Report.
